


How Things Were And Then...

by SarahPrincess



Category: One Piece
Genre: AU- could be considered dimensional travel, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Luffy - Freeform, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 07:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17824532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahPrincess/pseuds/SarahPrincess
Summary: His crew is dying. More enemies are waiting. What's left? In his last moments, the wind and stars offer Luffy a second chance. To go back. To start over. After all, surely it wasn't to fall to his enemies NOW.. But what does he do when the world he wakes up to is so normal yet so painfully wrong..?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is my first fanfiction so I'm feeling excited!! (^ v ^)  
> I hope You fellow nerds and who-else like it!! If not, no worries!! Heads up: I'm open to constructive criticism.. not insults plez.. *self-conscious lil' writer*
> 
>  
> 
> Also, Luffy is 21 at this point of the story and is more serious and patient than in the anime. He's been a pirate for four years and has had a lot of time and experience to put more effort into thinking and prioritising things other than how much fun he has

**prologue**

It had been almost a whole year since the unofficial declaration of the second King of the Pirates. Thirteen months since the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman shifted to that of the future Pirate King's first mate, Roronoa Zoro. Four months since coming _so_ close to the discovering of the secrets behind the Void Century. Two months since the finding of the All Blue -- leaving with tears and swearing on Sanji's hands that they would later return. And only twelve minutes since since the beginning of the drawing up of the last piece of land in all the seas...

 

Apparently, even less time is all that is needed for a people to fall...

____________________

**_"NAMIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!"_ **


	2. A Bright Start

**Approximately** _**5**  _ **_hours before..._ **

 

It had only been a little under an hour since anchoring at the large and seemingly-uninhabited island's coast. The sun stood proudly in the sky, continuing to give the ocean the illusion of being somewhat glittery, while the wind and waves twirled, rocked and intertwined with one another. Overall, it made an unarguable statement of peace that, had it not been for the audible ferocious animalistic screeching from the forest floor in the distance, anyone would have believed it to be truly tranquil. 

"Everyone! It's still early so I want to use this time to walk around the island before mapping it out!" Nami called out loudly for the crew to hear from where they all stood closely together on the Sunny's deck whilst holding firmly to her recently-upgraded Climatact. Luffy -- who was still on the ship and not exploring, due to a slowly ingrained sense of patience over the years -- spoke up. 

"Sanji?"

Sanji stood a little straighter from his slightly-slouched position as he addressed his captain and crewmates, removing his cigarette to hold in the process.

"It's been a couple weeks since we last stocked up at the last town we stayed in," he spoke calmly yet loudly as he continued.

"I'll need to stock up while we're here. Meats and fruits."

At that, Luffy's face visibly lit up with his ever-present childish excitement. 

"Yosh (yes)! Zoro?" Luffy's gaze drifted until he met the eyes of his first mate (which were closed..) who was presently the only one away from the close ring of pirates, insisting on leaning back against the rail with his one functional eye closed and arms rested lazily behind his head. 

Zoro, in turn, made a deep grunting sound that could only be interpreted as a 'no' by anyone who knew him well enough. 

"Anyone else?" Luffy asked as he carefully met the gazes of each crew member before him.

It was Usopp this time who broke the silence, raising an arm to scratch awkwardly at the back of his head. 

"Since we don't know what kind of plants are on this island, I was thinking that maybe it's possible to find something that could potentially be crafted into some sort of ammo..."

Usopp had certainly come a long way since joining the Strawhat Pirates. Though certainly not as visible as Zoro (all due to the new abundance in scarring since his fight with Hawkeye), he no longer made any form of excuse to avoid potential dangers. Though he currently shifted slightly uncomfortably on his feet, it was more out of awkwardness and not that of fear. After all, he was the Pirate King's sniper!! What should he fear when he should stand unwavering of the flag he proudly stood by??

So, it was decided. After a couple hours of long, non-heated discussion and some snacks whilst  on board the Sunny, those aside from the ones on watch would head out at their own pace to wherever they do desired so long as it was outside Nami's striking range... Which was made difficult due to her weather-manipulating weapon...

Still, by late afternoon it had been Brook who drew the short straw of staying behind on the Thousand Sunny to keep watch. Zoro and Sanji had been the first to leave, violently insisting on themselves being able to find the bigger catch out of the two, while the others continued to talk happily amongst themselves. After making a short route plan of travelling safely around the land' so borders, Naomi followed suit.

Usopp, Franky and Chopper decided to leave together shortly afterwards, already agreeing to meet back at the ship before sunset, while Robin and Jimbei had chosen to explore on their own. 

Luffy briefly wondered for a moment if his crew would be alright... but of course they would be! They were his crew! Still...

"Luffy-San," Robin turned to face her captain from where she stood by the railing, readying to leave with Jimbei.

Luffy blinked out of the daze he hadn't realised he had gone into.

"Nn?" 

Jimbei stood atop the near edge of the ship, flicking his observing gaze between the archeologist and the man he had chosen to follow before making a casual leap to land. After all, he could easily await elsewhere and didn't need to impose on something that wasn't in his business. 

Robin knew Jimbei enough to not need to consider the possibility of him going off without her. Instead, she continued to steadily observe her captain.

"Are you sure you do not wish to come with us?" 

Luffy again blinked almost distantly before once again completely returning his focus.

He tilted his head very slightly to the side, taking note of her observing face, and shone his usual wide grin. 

"I'm sure! I'll leave soon anyway! Shishishishishi!" He held a hand childishly to his mouth as he laughed. 

After a few seconds she nodded and was about to leave when suddenly, stopping herself at the last second, she turned to face Luffy again. 

"Are You alright, Luffy-san?" Neither her expression nor presence showed many signs of concern but he could still see just how much Robin was reading, looking for  _any_ signs that she should be. But she didn't. She firmly believed in her captain after all. 

After a moment's consideration, he continued to grin widely and nod -- waving a hand casually in front of his face as if swatting away something unimportant. 

"Un (yep)! Was just thinking about something." 

And with that, Robin nodded curtly, exiting the ship with a fine leap as she tailed Jimbei who had waited by a large fanning tree with patience none else on the crew quite seemed to grasp. 

 

Luffy had moved to the figurehead. His special seat, where he could always look out and see an art -- the  _only_ kind of art he understood -- that would always bring a peace to his ever-fighting soul. The waters were so beautiful... As was the land before him from where he sat. 

Looking up, his eyes laid claim of the cotton-like, yet heavy, clouds as they greyed in comparison to the bright and pure white that they had been mere hours ago. It would rain. Luffy knew that. Heck, Nami had said it herself and addressed it to everyone just moments before anchoring. So.. if not the rain, then what? Luffy couldn't help but question the slight tugging feeling from the back of his brain and eyes. If only for a quarter of a second Luffy felt something desperate in the tug that seemed to have very briefly held at his will. He didn't understand it what it was and waited silently with a not-so-carefully held breath, willing for another tug at his senses to be made. 

Nothing. He looked up and felt a slight mournfulness in the wind but even as he asked, she stayed silent. It was as though the voice of the wind had been stolen... Or perhaps at least an invisible gag had been placed. 

_'I hope everyone's okay,'_ he thought as he stood to finally leave his home on the ship for a short while.

And just like that, the sky began to cry. 


	3. Before The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again dear readers!!! Man, I hope You're excited because I am!! I mean... you don't have to be.. if you don't want to... but at least imagine cake. (^ v ^) This is... definitely my longest chapter yet... I'm happy!! Thank You so much to Readers and Reviewers and Kudo-leavers!!   
> *feelin' the love* I know I left a comment saying I would start the time travel in this chapter. However, I regret to inform that... that will not be happening yet.... sadly.... but hey! Closer to it and we can still look forward to the craziness that follows suit! Time travel will likely start in either the next chapter or the chapter after that. Other than that note: ENJOY!!

**_Sometime before...._  **

_Purupurupuru! Purupurupuru! *chink*_

"Marine Headquarters: Fleet Admiral, Akainu, Sakazuki."

The man of incredibly large stature sat over his desk with his elbows leaning carefully against it, forearms up and hands clasping together with fingers intertwining. A truly professional outlook. His room was at the very top of the large fort-like building of Marine HQ, only adding to his appearance of high importance. He removed the widely-framed cigar from his mouth and tapped it against the large ashtray that sat by his small den den mushi and sighed in attempted patience. Oh how he hated it when people didn't simply get straight to the point... 

Suddenly, the snail's face turned from its usual utter neutral expression as it mimicked whichever speaker was at the other end. Sakazuki's mouth tilted at its edges further into a frown and narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the snail, for its part, grinned in an almost sadistic demeanor and its eyes shifted into a somewhat dark expression. Overall, it was an expression that spoke a power that wasn't afraid to participate in the utmost cruel acts. An expression that Sakazuki himself often wore on the inside, if only for the name of absolute justice. 

"Get on with it," he growled as he returned the cigar to his mouth and gave a heavy breath of irritation.

The crooked grin of the den den mushi only widened at the would-be-threat as a deep, guttural voice was emitted. 

At the other end of the line, a tall, broad man with white-blue lengthy hair and horns stood very tall against the main mast of the ship, which sails had been painted a pitch black, save for the white of the three skulls and bones as well as the blood-red lettering on the sail above. He cupped a single hand in front of him which held the small customised den den mushi -- in the appearance of a marine -- that had been stolen some time before. Though up until now, had no reason in using it, only knowing that it could and would prove useful. It seems his captain had thought all of this out well enough...

The giant of a man named Avalo spoke out through his current only means of communication with the marine fleet admiral. 

"I hear you are searching for a certain Strawhat," he said somewhat calmly, though he held his sadistic grin as his eyes shadowed over. 

The snail in his hand only narrowed its eyes further. At his words or his voice, he didn't know. However, it seemed that either way, at least what had been said must have had some sort of wanted effect.

_"Get to the point."_

He continued to follow the instructions his captain had ordered of him not all that long ago, though Avalo seemed to believe that perhaps Blackbeard had been planning something like this for a lot longer than what had been known by the rest of the immediate crew, excluding those in their outer circles. His grin only broadened at the thought.  _'Oh what a scary man to follow.'_

"He has recently left the Nulo Islands in the North Blue and has headed further north. Where he is headed is currently on unmapped lands." Avalo's expression flattened slightly as his excitement for future bloodshed seemed to calm. 

Of course, the man at the other end of the line seemed to notice the change as the snail's eyes practically turned to thin slits showing nothing but pure suspicion and perhaps even a slight seething hate. Though Avalo doubted this feeling went out to himself.

 _"Who are you?"_ The voice came after a pause. 

At the other end, Sakazuki continued to sit as he had since the beginning of the call however, through his mind began a dark stream of thought and emotion. 

Avalo, on the other hand, was quite content in this sudden spurt of pure  _hate_. It reminded him of each person in his own crew. Again, his captain was right. They were just too similar... At the thought, he smirked, which undoubtably showed through the other man's den den.

"Just someone with a common goal." 

_"You are no marine."_

That much was obvious to Sakazuki and he didn't like it. No. His frown deepened at the thought of actually  _assisting_ a second group of pirate scum... A tic mark appeared on his forehead as he continued to battle out these thoughts with frustration. According to...  _whoever_... these people were, the Strawhats were in the North Blue. To get there quickly with enough marines to fully exterminate them was... impossible. He let out a loose growl only to recall there being another 'in' the room who was currently by no doubt seeing for themselves ( _whoever they were_ ) the inner turmoil of the fleet admiral. 

 _'How pathetic,'_ he thought to himself and scowled. 

However... these...  _people_... they clearly knew of the Strawhat's whereabouts. How? Where they close? Perhaps....

"I take it you have a means of eliminating the Strawhats?" he growled out through his cigar.

At that, Sakazuki's den den mushi seemed to almost light up in the same sadistic aura that seemed to practically leak from whatever man was on the other side... 

Meanwhile, Avalo could only feel pleased for both himself and his captain. This was running through as smoothly as either of them could dare to hope. A deep hatred often did bring the strong together. 

"We do."

_"How?"_

His grin was almost friendly at the marine's antics. He was straight to the point and always made sure he knew what was necessary to him.

"The Strawhats have seemed to become somewhat silent since Monkey D. Luffy claimed the One Piece  _however_... he still has a tendency to wreck chaos wherever he goes. Irregardless of how big or little those messes may be. He has been an easy follow."

 _"How?! The Marines have been after those.. filth.."_ The snail's face seemed to scrunch up in disgust.  _"...for the past two years since the attack on Fishman Island..!"_

He paused. He was told not to say anything regarding their identities nor their connections.

"We have our...  _methods_... The boss wishes to keep these hidden at least for now. Of course, you understand. After all, you never know who will turn against you."

Sakazuki scowled for the nth time. Of course he didn't expect these others to give something like that away so easily. It was smart not to and as a Marine, he had always learnt the importances of keeping any potentially useful information secret. Especially means of finding information. Still... as fleet admiral he was used to getting what he wanted and when he wanted it. He could control a number of Marine fleets, commanders and weaponry as he desired so long as he had the foresight of organising how to make it possible. Though perhaps he couldn't currently get hold of the information he wanted, he thought at at least he could possibly bring down Strawhat Luffy -- the only direct descendent of Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army. And that thought brought to his face a genuine grin, no matter how small or cold despite the heat he quite literally omitted. 

"Very well..." the fleet admiral sighed in both defeat and an excitement that only came in finding one's ultimate target. "Tell me this plan..."

Sakazuki's den den mushi grinned widely.

\-------------------------------

**Present Time**

Luffy walked through the island's forest at a calm pace, worrying slightly at a small nagging sensation at the back of his mind. Like something was wrong. Or... waiting to, perhaps? It was different to the strange sensation he felt at his brain while on the Sunny. He didn't fully understand it but he did know to fully trust his instincts. Though for whatever reason, these instincts seemed to be yelling at him to listen out for something. _**But he had been listening for hours!!**_ There wasn't even anything to even listen t- 

And just like that, he froze. For even just a moment, his breath stilled and he tried to listen. The voices.. The wind.. The trees and all the thousands of other plants... He snapped his head up and swivelled it around, laying his eyes on anything that made a noise. The noise he had grown used to over the past two years... There was nothing. Just...  _silence_...

\-------------------------------

Metal clashed against metal-hardened legs as Zoro and Sanji continued to yell loudly in each others faces.

"You idiot, we need to go back!!! Can't you see it's getting dark, idiot Marimo?! I need to start getting _thiiiss_..." Sanji waved an arm as emphasis towards the few incredibly large wild beasts the two had been dragging behind them for the past while. "...back to the Sunny so we can start on dinner!"

"HAa?? Face it ero-cook, you're just too wimpy to continue searching for anything larger," Zoro teased loudly. 

He knew, of course, that Sanji was no coward and neither was he. But he didn't feel like going back just yet. And besides... where even _was_ the ship...? 

Sanji, on the other hand, insisted that without him, the beautiful Robin-chwan and Nami-swan (said with many love hearts fluttering comically from the ground into the air) would starve. 

It was then that the two felt the drizzle of the rain. Suddenly they both paused mid-needless argument to look up at the suddenly-heavier-than-they-remembered clouds. 

"Think we should go back..?" Sanji turned to face the animal bodies they had been carrying together, not wanting their food to be affected by the rain. But there was also... something else... though he couldn't be sure.

Zoro immediately seized the opportunity his friend presented him -- unbeknownst to him though, of course. 

"What, feeling a little faint from getting your pretty coat wet Curly-brow?" he teased with a dead-set grin plastered to his face. 

Sanji, in return, took the bait with a scowl and was about to return with his own well-made insults when suddenly there came a shift in the air. Both he and Zoro immediately paused whatever argument was about to start just then and turned their gazes to their surroundings before looking back at each other again. 

"Oi, Marimo, you feel that?" Sanji lowered his voice, reducing it to significantly quieter in comparison to his earlier shouts.

"Yeah..." And the two of them stiffened slightly and Zoro instinctively moved a hand to the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji, suspiciously looking over the rest of the forest with a caution that only presented itself when necessary. 

Something was wrong and they could feel it but...

And that was when a sudden force of incredibly powerful presences struck... 

\--------------------------------

Usopp had his hands stuck inside a... very very very large flower that he had been trying to steal the seeds of when its stupid petals had suddenly decided to close like a mouth on him!!  

"Chopper, dammit! Help me out here!"

Chopper was off to the side _some_ where...  Usopp couldn't exactly see him from where he was though... Especially with his face stuck right towards the centre of the plant as it continued to latch onto his arms with a strong determination...

"Oii!! Chopper!!" Franky **_had_** been with them for a while but had wondered for a little on his own and Usopp wasn't so sure on how close he was and if he could rely on him actually coming _before_ he was completely eaten away. 

A loud rustle and squeal came from a nearby dinosaur-of-a-sized bush as Chopper fell backwards out from amongst the growth. In his hooves were a small bunch of leaves with a couple berries attached. Chopper hadn't intended on retrieving the berries.. He had only the intention of attaining the leaves that he now held up in a bunch before he suddenly spotted a really pretty nice-smelling flower! He then noticed Usopp's legs just in front of the flower at some sort of.. slightly weird angle..? Chopper knew Usopp enjoyed smelling nice flowers, and often talked about one day bringing back the seeds of the best one he found for a present one day to give to his friend, Kaya. 

"Ah! Usopp!!" he called with utmost excitement as he held up his bundle of leaves and berries that coupled with it. "Look!! I got what I needed, I- AH! USOPP!!" 

Chopper yelled out in worry as he noticed his friend was not in fact smelling the really pretty flower but rather, was a bit stuck considering all that stuck out of the flower were his legs as they seemed to flail around helplessly. 

"YOW! There you guys are!!" Franky called from behind Chopper, momentarily giving the poor reindeer a heart attack as he continued to struggle with his friend's foot in one of his larger transformations.

Franky paused where he stood for a moment before speaking. "Ah, Usopp! You're stuck." 

Chopper continued panicking as he pulled at Usopp's boot only to have it come flying off. Franky, for his part, didn't seem all that bothered by the scene and Usopp could definitely tell from the laid back voice of the cyborg. It was probably due to that same reason that Franky proceeded to hear very angry-sounding muffled from the inside of the flower he was half stuck in. Franky simply walked up to the flower and tore it from its top to down alongside the petals, knowing that Chopper, amid his panic, likely forgot how to deal with plants like this despite how many times the same thing had occurred on different lands...

Usopp finally fell back to the ground in a light roll, knocking a growing plant down in the process before heaving himself up, bending over with hands on his knees as he finished recovering from his brief lack of oxygen. 

"Dammit Chopper! Why didn't you get me out??" he yelled out in bewilderment at his friend's very short betrayal.

"Ee! I'm sorry Usopp! I was busy collecting this!" Chopper apologised in mumbles now only to be forgotten over his excitement for the small bundle of leaves and berries in his hooves. 

Usopp simply blinked back in response. "Wait, what even is that Chopper? Also, thank you Franky for getting me out of that plant..." 

"No worries Bro!" he yelled as he stood in his signature SUPERR pose. 

Just at that moment it started to drizzle. Chopper tilted his head up and beamed happily while Franky held out his hand for a moment before considering going back... He was completely fine in the rain but he had come back to the others after a very short expedition for a reason. Usopp's mumbling and newly-started ranting of stories all but faded out of Franky's focus. All in all, something about this place just felt... wrong. And he didn't know how to describe it but he figured that Zoro, if not Jimbei or Luffy, would have understood if he asked. The feeling had only lasted for a second earlier but it was enough to believe he should maybe turn back and at least discuss it. Though he was little of the time serious, he knew when to be. 

Suddenly Chopper spoke up, still tilting his head upwards though only slightly. "Hey, do you guys smell that..?"

Chopper had a sensitive nose so he often smelled things that no one else in the crew could. It didn't mean there was never anything to worry about, or always something to worry about. It just meant that there was usually something that no one else could pick up. It was often neutral, or even in some cases (such as perfume), annoying. But in this instance he knew there was something about the smell... it was... chemical-y...? Words like 'bitter' and 'gas' flitted across his mind and suddenly he recognised the scent. The rain had been making it so difficult to smell due to the sudden reaction amongst all the thirsting plant life..! And this only spelled danger.

"Quick!! Franky!! Usopp!!" he yelled furiously and transformed to his heavy point as he lifted up the smaller of his two friends when suddenly-

Only sharp pain filled his mind in that second that seemed to last forever. He didn't even know what happened other than that the second he reacted to respond to the gas, he suddenly couldn't. And his muscles contracted in pain and he seethed in a desperate rage to protect his nakama. His friends. But vision blurred and all he heard was an endless stream of shouting as his mind slowly seemed to fade and he didn't know why. 

\-----------------------------

It was barely a second before the rain had started to drizzle that Robin noticed what was wrong. Jimbei seemed to feel the same as his usual calm demeanor quickly snapped into something heavily guarded and wary. The two gave each other a quick glance before curtly nodding to the other in acknowledgment. Whatever this was, whatever was happening, it was something dangerous. Smart even. Robin turned to once again flick her eyes to meet her friends. That was all she needed to know.

The gaze the two had briefly shared said something along the lines of 'danger', 'ship', 'now'. That was enough. They needed to get out, not knowing why but just that it would be a danger to stay. Or at least if they did, it would be as together with the rest of the crew. Robin silently cursed as Jimbei seemed to be doing the same, though ever more so internally. He should have thought more than simply assuming that everyone in pairs would be enough. Yes, they were the crew of the King of the Pirates. And they had been that way for the past year. But the King had many enemies and who knows what a common hate can do to people... They really should have thought more. 

Something was wrong. Haki should have allowed him to sense the oncoming destructive blow to his back as he ran ever so slightly behind Robin, still keeping a safe lookout overhead. No, he didn't sense it. One moment he was running, taking tremendous leaps but hoping to keep Robin safe from the back, as was duty as crew mate as well as being the strongest of the pair. That action cost, it seemed, as a man taller and thinner than himself appeared quickly at his side and a searing pain tore itself from his back to his front. A scream came from in front and that was when he saw something large and fearsome pierce one of his closest friend's side... That was when the multiple auras hit. Something dark, something powerful. And yet... almost completely silent as the aura's of the several people surrounding them raged. Only now, when they were so incredibly close to them, did they notice. Jimbei groaned inwardly and out loud in frustration at his failure. Their failure... They had learnt to take on responsibility together as the nakama they were. No single person was ever responsible and it was usually out of their control anyway. Though, that didn't stop each of them at times thinking themselves as the only one at fault... hence, why they constantly reminded each other and themselves that. He only wondered what his captain would feel at the sight of his crew helpless and weak like this... He only hoped Luffy would feel the presences despite it having been well hid somehow. Almost as though....

He grunted as he raised his head, ever so slightly, just to see the people around him. There were a few of sorts. Pirates for certain. None that he could recognise except.... 

Caterina Devon. Level 6 criminal from Impel Down who had escaped four years ago in order to join...

And Jimbei shuddered. Attempting to raise himself off the cool of the ground, he pushed against the dirt with his webbed hands. Something in him wasn't working properly but he HAD to move or...

Ah.... But then there's all that new pain that flared into his side.  His head felt like a rupture of fire and dark, cold icy pain amongst the heat followed by numbness starting at his neck a second after his observation haki screamed at him to move to the side. Though he couldn't and now moving was out of the question. He could only look up slightly and watch as Robin's limp form in front of him bled out... And tears filled his eyes. 

_'Oh Luffy, I'm so sorry...'_

\-----------------------------

Brook stood alone in the crows nest. Not that he minded. The view was rather pleasant actually, as it always was. He briefly wondered how all of the others were doing. He, himself, looked forward to being able to swap over with another crew mate so he could take his turn on the island. But that could wait... and it would. He would wait patiently. It was something he had grown into over his long span of life since his death...  _'Yohohohoho!!'_ He laughed inwardly at the twist in that thought and how amusing it was, all despite its loneliness. It was only since meeting Luffy that he truly got to feel the adrenaline rush and excitement all over again since his early years of becoming a pirate. He only for a second wondered what life would have been like without meeting Luffy and his crew... They were his family just as Laboon was. And with that thought, his mind drifted easily into a small well of memories storing all of those dear precious moments he had spent with that small and young little island whale called Laboon. And in that came another entertaining spout of emotion. Excitement and eagerness. He looked forward to meeting with his dear friend again with the family he now shared. They would never replace his previous crew, and they each understood that. They couldn't fill a hole that was only meant to be filled by certain someones. But each of them knew just as equally that they didn't mean any less and that each and every one of them had their own individual unique placing in his heart. Ah, though he didn't have a heart... Skull Joke!!  _'Yoho!!'_

His attention stirred back to the sight before him, outside his mind and back into the landscape he witnessed in front of them. 

"I do hope the others return soon.." he muttered quietly to himself. 

 _'Huh,'_ he thought as he spotted a small white blot in the distance. _'I wonder what a seagull like that is doing all the way over here...'_

\-----------------------------

Oh, how he hoped his crew were okay...

Luffy dashed wildly through the forest with a fierce desperation.

\-----------------------------

It had started drizzling a short while ago though that didn't deter her from her goal. To draw a map of the world!!! Together with her crew, lead by Luffy who was now the King of the Pirates, they had all come to live dreams that would have just stayed that had they not met the strange childish yet somewhat wise kid... Because that's all Luffy had been at that stage. A kid. Determined as hell but nonetheless a kid. It wasn't up until after those two years of training that he could really have been seen as anything else. That moment when something had tampered with his childish innocence at the death of his brother and the short loss of his family. His nakama. Luffy had become more determined and serious after that. He was still often a kid in many ways... but he was their leader and their captain. Their King, for all that it was. They knew Luffy didn't care about being called 'King' and stuff like that.. that was all insignificant to him... it was just the freedom it gave. Freedom of being at the top like none other. All while standing alongside his crew that would never again leave his side. She had to appreciate that. How much he had lived not just for his own dream but for their dreams as well. Her dream. To draw a map of the world... So when it started to rain, with that thought in mind, she only grew more determined as she sheltered herself and her drawing utensils under the wide umbrella she had brought along with her. 

She had had the look she needed to at least START her map. Her final map... Oh, the excitement arose from her chest and spread in some sort of fluffy bubbling manner. She didn't know how to describe it. Just that she was just... **_so_** happy. So when she started to draw, she had been a little too distracted to notice a tug of the wind in her hair. Almost like a silent, desperate plea. And it rained just a little more harder...

So as she drew, barely over ten minutes in on the bare beginnings of her final map... it was a little too late to notice the weapon pointed her way until it was too late. 

_**"NAMIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!"** _

She jolted at that, snapping her head up at a cry so desperate and so pained. Only to find her captain. The man she in some way or another aspired to be like one day. Only... why did he look so..?

...... _scared...?_

And pain filled her every cell and space in her body. Sharp. Agonising. And lasting a little too long for her liking but at least it was beginning to subside... Only then however, did she notice the pained expression in her captain's eyes. True agony. Not whatever she had felt moments earlier. Surely that was barely a fragment of the sheer pain that was reflecting through his face through the tear tracks down the sides of his face as it contorted to that of a scream. 

"Lu-" she coughed and found that she couldn't speak very easily. Only now did she notice all of the others standing around. And.... that presence they gave off... 

So dark... Like an abyss that only screamed delight in suffering and for a moment her eyes shone with nothing but fear. Fear for her captain as slowly she, herself, drifted into a long dark place of lost...  


	5. Not Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers!!! I'm aiming for regular updates! (as... much as I should probably be prioritising other stuff....... but oh well!! "FOR ONE PIECE!!" I shout with a mighty battle cry. I hope You all enjoy! Time travel is... yet to come up.. I still hope it'll be in the next chapter (which I have already planned so yay!!!) But until then... *patient meditating stance* 
> 
> I love reviews so please leave one if that's okay!! (nah, You don't have to but they're always good to read. Heck, feel free to leave the word of a random animal and I will also return said message with the word of a random animal. Be freeee!!)   
> Enjoy the chapter. (^ v ^)

The thick smell of muddy soil and water-drenched plants mixed terribly with the putrid scent of blood that seemed to travel from everywhere. Slowly, presences started to make themselves known to Luffy as the assailants from further back walked forward. He could feel them now, though not many. Flicking a quick observing glance to his sides, Luffy took note of just how many more people he could see rather than feel and it was confusing… what happened to his haki…? After a short and quick assessment of his surroundings he focused all his attention back to his navigator and her assailants. There, barely five metres in front of him, a man was holding Nami by the neck, though he seemed to loom over in size. Luffy could feel the strength from his presence and he knew that the man in front of him was so much weaker than himself. Though… that didn’t make him any less capable. Luffy had learnt from his experience as a pirate that a person, no matter how weak, can always have something up their sleeve that gave them the advantage they needed to win any fight. Someone could have a devil fruit after all, and those were completely unpredictable. The aura coming from this man told him he was crafty though, and that was enough to make him pause for his navigator’s sake.

Luffy could see that she was bleeding heavily from behind where the weapon had met with her lower back and saw the way Nami’s eyes seemed to flick between focused and in pain to an almost-closed glazed look. She was flicking in and out of consciousness… Meaning that she wouldn’t be able to fight currently. There was a quiet thud as Nami’s mapping tools slipped through her fingers into the now-wet ground from when the umbrella that had been planted into the ground had knocked over, allowing the slightly-heavier rain to seep over. (look at chapter 2 to see what she does to avoid the rain as she maps)

The raven-haired pirate scanned further over their situation and began to search for some way of escape. Being a pirate for the past four years had allowed him the mental tools he needed to survive situations such as these.

He could always use Conqueror’s Haki and hope that it would be enough to knock all the surrounding pirates. But that would cause all the pirates to fall… including the one holding the semi-conscious Nami who was now holding a small but clearly sharp blade to her front. If they fell, they would fall forwards. Nami would fall into the sharp blade… Could he – should he – take the risk…? Nami could easily die from that sort of blade going through her, especially at the level of how injured she was already currently. At the same time, if he doesn’t do anything… it could risk making the situation even worse… Even then, if it failed and _didn’t_ knock out everyone then there would be the risk of having to fight off the stronger opponents while protecting Nami and _that_ would be dangerous for her.

Luffy’s eyes narrowed at the current threat to his nakama but stayed silent as he readied himself to fight when necessary. Looking around, he sees just _how many_ enemies are surrounding them in comparison to the ones he can actually feel are there. _‘Why isn’t haki helping…?’_ Normally he would have sensed them long before but now, he can only sense the ones within a few metres of him…

A heavy rustling came from the plants surrounding his front right and he instantly knows more people are coming. _‘More enemies,’_ he inwardly growled and then he could see them. A small group of incredibly large, muscular people made themselves known from the distance and walked closer to the larger mass although, they seemed to stand out entirely.

After a short while, the large mass of pirates seemed to settle and it was then that Luffy allowed himself to hope that that had been truly everyone… The way the thick crowd of both lanky and buff, tall – practically giants – and short men and a few women seemed to spread like liquid and fill each possible space that was available was rather daunting.

Amongst all of the people, a good number seemed at least some bit familiar… Or at least he thought they did. Honestly, Luffy’s memory still wasn’t entirely developing into a strong point any time soon and for that, he inwardly groaned. No matter how dangerous his current situation was, there was usually something to mope about in some way… Sometimes making the situation seem lighter made it easier to deal with for the Straw-hatted man.

Looking again at the surrounding pirates (he really couldn’t envision them being anything else… the auras he felt and the voices he managed to hear were such a way that reminded him of all those scary stories his Gramps had told him of pirates in order to get the young boy to want to be a marine… not that it worked…) a tight tug pulled at the back of his mind and eyes again. He had thought seeing this group of so-called-pirates would have stopped that feeling, since he would have been able to see the dangers in front of him. The rain poured a little heavier now and the smell of blood slowly washed away as it buried itself under the folding movements of the semi-solid earth. His eyebrows furrowed to an expression of rage to bury that tingling sensation of worry that seemed to clutch with every action and breath he made. But he couldn’t afford to think like that just right now. It would need to wait. For the moment, Luffy would need to think and come up with at least some sort of useable plan. He took note of the way Nami was being held threateningly. Whoever all these people were, they weren’t going to just go in for the easy kill and that was both useful and concerning. If these pirates weren’t going straight for the kill then that meant they had other plans… possibly using his own crew as leverage against him…? After all, that had happened in a fair amount of previous fights…

It was then that someone else came forward until at the innermost ring of pirates encircling the two others. Luffy suddenly froze as a dark, piercing, _familiar_ aura broke from amongst the crowd as they approached. The aura was suffocating as the pure concentrated evil presence filled the earlier confusing silence. Knowing just exactly _who_ was approaching from behind made him choke slightly with his mind urging him to turn around, kick, punch, bite, claw and _just get the hell out!_ The loud raging encompassing sound of a simple _“Zeheheheheh…”_ was more than enough to send his joints into a dangerously locked position. This man – no, this creature – had taken so many Luffy held dearly close; people whom he had deemed nakama, though not in his immediate crew. Luffy’s memories drifted to his most recent loss… his second older brother. Luffy was the King of the Pirates. He was known for being the strongest – a pure monster and demon in human form, to some – but that didn’t mean anything to anyone if he damn wasn’t in the place he was needed at the right time… Recalling his moment of coming a little too late at Sabo’s fall made him inwardly cry. Yes, he had mourned and yes, the majority in that battle had escaped. None of his crew was lost and for that he had been both grateful and fortunate. That fight had lasted so long… It had been just another needless war… It was in those moments that he truly relished in the bond he had with the family he had come to create over the past four years. And now…

Luffy pulled himself from his thoughts, attempting to ignore all of the blood and pain that last memory had brought. He was better, and now was surely not the time to be thinking about these things. And yet, it was so hard not too… what, with his brothers’ murderer standing behind him with his presence, his very breath itself, crying once more for his own blood and the blood of his nakama. So, so tempted to turn around and yet he needed to keep an eye on his navigator. He wouldn’t let Nami get hurt, no matter what. But he was still frightened, just grasping how many people there were and now he knew who was in charge of this ambush. Before he could even hope that the rest of his nakama were safe he felt the rest of Blackbeard’s crew push past over to where Nami was. Each main crewmember of Teach’s carrying a person or two from his own crew…

His eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat. His initial worry and now intensely solidified fear hardened at the sight of the people he had come to see as friends and family. Thuds and squelching sounds played in front of him as he watched each of his close nakama being thrown roughly into the ground in front of him. There was Robin’s bloody form that hooked around at an awkward angle as she lay limply in the mud; the smell of blood thickened as a shadowed crimson red mixed with the earthly browns and greens beneath. Zoro and Sanji were thrust heavily into the waterlogged earth and continued to be held down by one particularly large man with densely formed muscles from neck to foot – long black hair running down the sides of his head and neck similar to a lion’s mane. Luffy recognised this man as one of the stronger and more recent members of Blackbeard’s so-called ‘crew’. These people may be pirates but they were _far_ from the real pirates he had grown to respect and appreciate.

Zoro’s much-longer hair flattened against the pressure of the rain and blood Luffy could see dripping from the older man’s forehead drenched the previous green creating some sort of messed up Christmas scene. Blood seeped through the back of Zoro’s shirt and Luffy analysed the long shredding cut that dragged in length across his first mate’s back. Sanji was no better and the Pirate King could see the awkward-angled twists of the blond man’s legs and silently cringed at the sight. A dirt-tinted crimson also mixed amongst the yellow of the man’s hair that appeared to be torn in places. Luffy’s eyes darkened as he continued to look over his hurt nakama. Jimbei had been dropped alongside Robin and was clearly struggling in his efforts to look up at his captain. When he did though, Luffy could only read guilt and an almost shameful apology written across his features. Whatever had happened, his large friend only blamed himself for it. For that, Luffy returned his own apology through his eyes that he knew the fishman would see.

But it wasn’t just an apology… Jimbei could see the horror and worry in his captain’s eyes as he looked over the state of his crew and feel what little remained of their previous overpowering presences. They had been made weak. Beaten and, in most cases, drugged and dragged or hauled through the beating rain. Chopper was tossed across, no one bothering to hold down the battered and bloody reindeer and everyone watched despairingly at the slow subtle rise and fall of the doctor’s small chest. Usopp was held down behind him and Luffy could see the sniper’s mouth go to make a shout to the captain only to have his face pressed with great force into the forest’s floor, only muffling whatever words or sounds he would have made.

_‘What the hell is this…?’_ Luffy looked across his crew and for a moment, he only saw black and red. Emotions turning bland and numb as his mind tossed itself into a deep pit of denial, hoping against all his experiences as a pirate and wishing against his earned title itself that this was _not. Happening_.

And oh, Franky… One arm was absolutely destroyed and torn – coming loose from his body entirely once held down while the other appeared more like a disgustingly dislocated shoulder; the arm hanging loosely a bit off from where it should be at the his shoulder’s socket while the elbow was detached almost completely, only holding together by cords and wires that thankfully weren’t exposed too dangerously in the rain. Luffy could only plead with the sky and ocean that by whatever unseen force existed that Brook was at least safe.

Tears pulled at his eyes as nothing but grief, pain and a terrible harrowing sense of hopelessness wracked every corner of his mind. Those of his crew that were still capable of the neck movement involved to look at him in the eyes could only see the reeking despair that came with every slight twitch and turn in the muscles of Luffy’s face. Jimbei, Zoro and Sanji met his gaze, each with wet, frustrated eyes at their pathetically helpless situation.

Luffy’s slowly collapsing state barely processed the movements in front of him until Blackbeard was finally standing directly between him and his precious nakama. At that, Luffy slowly brought himself back to the reality of the moment. He needed to think – to save his nakama no matter what. At that, the Pirate King snapped his head upwards and glared, sending every ounce of pain he had ever felt from the losses caused by this monster in front of him into a force of determined hate that made any sane person cower into submission. This however, only made the monster broaden his broken-toothed cocky smirk into a truly dark version of the bright glowing smile that Luffy usually emitted.

“ _Zeheheheheh_ …” the monster in front of the man who stood freest of them all, laughed in a deep sickly manner. This time, Luffy didn’t react.

“It’s nice to see you, Strawhat. Akainu sends his apologies for not being able to make it,” Teach chucked slightly as he took in Little King’s eyes that widened in unmasked surprise.

He had everything he needed to make this experience painstakingly memorable for the imbecilic brat that dared to get in his way. At least, today, peace would be found in the destruction of these toys. Blackbeard would be careful to make these moments entertaining. But he wouldn’t lose either. If worst came to worst then Blackbeard knew he would have to cut things short. But he wouldn’t do that until his very own life was at risk. Even entertainment and revenge weren’t worth risking _that_.

Luffy’s eyes reverted from Blackbeard to his own nakama. The anger and absolute hate in his eyes returned to the previous worry as before. His own crew shared his or her own shattering glares of unmasked rage towards Blackbeard before fixating on the captain’s own worried gaze.

Jimbei continued to look apologetic and grave with an underlying layer of rage and disgust that was purely directed towards the other crews. Zoro and Sanji grit their teeth in anger. Sanji, for his part, held back small droplets of tears that were visibly forming at the corners of his eyes when he flicked his gaze over to Robin, who continued to remain motionless and unbreathing. Usopp barely managed to struggle his head to the side under the pressure of the overweight man standing over him, still affected by whatever drugs had been shoved under his skin. In the end, each of them shares their own worries for their hurt nakama and yet, they continued to hold the firm faith in their friend, brother, and captain’s abilities. He had pulled each of them through and out of every desperate and miracle-needing situation. No matter how bad things got, they would always fight for the man who gave them a chance at everything. And they each knew with unrivalled certainty that he would do the same for them. They could only hope that Brook had managed to-

Trudging sounded upon the slow laborious arrival of two fishmen who would easily tower over Jimbei had he been standing at full height. In one of the arms of the man standing on the right was nothing other than a mangled and worn-down suit-wearing skeleton.

Several others arrived. All of them being fishmen. Each wondered to their own space amongst the crowd as the two with Brook continued onwards before tossing the incapacitated musician lightly into the group of held-down Strawhats.

Luffy watched on with a sudden prick feeling of anger and fearful helplessness as Brook was tossed amongst the rest of his nakama. Everyone was here now. Everyone was here and hurt in one way or another. Even one of Brook’s own legs was missing and his left pant leg flicked wildly with the heavy wind and rain. Even with a numb mind, Luffy’s body seemed to react to the sight as his body seemed to falter slightly – all against his own wishes but, of course, he could barely get his mind and body to act the way he needed in order to get them all out.

“What did-“ Luffy mentally admonished himself over the croak and weakly falter of his own voice.

He needed to be strong, damn it…! He mentally cursed but was quick to make sure his voice would not fail him a second time.

“What the hell did you do?!” his voice grew louder with each and every word, spitting with a seething venomous rage that was, for every word and emotion ingrained in the question, meant for the monster at the bare centre of this hellish moment. The two fishmen who now stood at the front line of the crowd knew that the fiery question had been directed towards them as well, even if it was just a fraction for what had been thrown towards the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates.

Blackbeard only smirked at the boy’s current faltering state and turned to the slightly smaller though stockier captain of the Vex Pirates.

Luffy concentrated solely on his crew as he quickly thought of various ways he could manage to escape with his crew as unharmed as possible. Could he get them all out…? Everyone was so badly injured or simply just couldn’t move a finger in their current state. Looking at Robin, he wasn’t even sure if she was alive… He couldn’t feel his crew particularly well amongst the chaotic presences of the enemy pirates closest to him that overpowered that of the weakened ones of his crew. But he would hope. He knew that Robin had to be alive. They all had to be. They were his nakama! At least in Chopper’s position he could see the slight rise and fall of the doctor’s chest. Still… once they got away from all of this… it would be dangerous. Their doctor was amongst the most injured and that meant the rest of his crew would risk a lot with whatever fight would come. But they would still do it…

That sharp burst of energised hope was interrupted with an even sharper voice of-

“Set the signal.”

Luffy once again turned to Teach in his tense state. Those in his crew that heard were unable to stop the sudden stiffening of their muscles at those words. Briefly, each of them shared the same thought.

_‘What?’_


	6. Before it's too late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Okay! I powered through this! There was... a LOT to this "chapter". A good several typed up pages worth. So I figured I would break this chapter up into parts but it's all good 'cause it's all coming out at once anyway so yay!!! I'm happy. And even extra yay!!!! Things are getting interesting!!! (^v^) So!! Let the chapter(s) commence!!!! (also, thank you awesome fellow One Piece nerds who read this)

“Set the signal.”

Luffy once again turned to Teach in his tense state. Those in his crew that heard were unable to stop the sudden stiffening of their muscles at those words. Briefly, each of them shared the same thought.

_‘What?’_

Blackbeard smirked, a hopeful warmth filling from his centre outwards as the captain of the Vex Pirates turned to his first mate, a larger wild light green-haired man, and mumbled something quietly before the latter marched off from the crowding pirates. Blackbeard turned back to the young Strawhat captain and noticed the assessing eyes that constantly gave barely noticeable shifts – the only sign that he was paying attention to his surroundings as everything else stood rigid. Teach decided it would be good to interrupt the much smaller man’s thoughts.

“I suppose I can stop ‘this’ then,” he said, bringing his right arm straight up until his hand was in front of his forehead before swiftly moving his hand diagonally across his body in front of him as though he were attempting to slice the very wind.

It was then that everyone Luffy felt a massive onslaught of emotion, power and voices he had been missing so much these last hours. The sudden noise in comparison to the distilled silence of bare seconds ago was… overwhelming and completely threw the Pirate King off from whatever he had been thinking moments ago. His feet wavered slightly as his mind attempted to adjust to the heaviness. _‘Just how many people were there…?’_ There were easily over several hundred people on this island. It was hard to tell and while Luffy could normally tell exactly how many people were in a certain space, there were just too many sudden strong presences that reeked powerful dark emotions and those voices clashed with each other’s voices and all these thoughts and feelings and intentions came pounding on the single mind of a currently-lost Pirate King that was so used to… just… not _this_.

These people, while strong, would individually be nothing compared to the strongest of the Strawhat Pirates let alone the captain. But Luffy could feel their intelligence; the smart minds that played and ticked ever presently. Even if only in a few, if the rest followed, it would be enough. And that was still excluding the chance of a devil fruit… Who knew how many powers Teach had now since their last battle? And even Coby…

Luffy inwardly shook his head. Too many people, he knew.

Returning his thoughts to his crew, Luffy took in the varying expressions that had changed in those few moments since Teach’s words. He saw the question that rang silently between all of them.

‘What signal?’ ‘What’s going to happen?’ and… _‘Just how much of this was planned?’_

And Luffy could hear it now. The weeping of the wind and the silent screaming apologies that choked away with the rain. Waves rocked viciously in the distance as the giant body of water ate the falling droplets.

Blackbeard’s threats towards Luffy making any movements fell on deaf ears when a gun-like bang resounded followed by a gentle red haze that seemed to glaze over the entire island. And, looking up, all pirates could see the small but radiating sphere of light that continued to rise and rise, leaving behind it a thin trail of smoke. A flare had been set off from the middle of the island and everyone could only stare.

Breaths were held and gazes were shared briefly amongst the Strawhat crew before a second, more distant bang resounded, followed by a pale fluorescent green haze lit the forest. Luffy could see now, a second and much more distant flare. It was much too far to be on the island like the first flare. Maybe out at sea?

And a brief feeling of dread along the thoughts of _‘Oh no…’_ were shared between himself and his nakama.

Having his ability to use his haki now returned Luffy felt the bounds of his will inside him, and willed those abilities to sense to stretch out like tendrils out further than their present state allowed. Passing mountain after mountain and hill, Luffy could feel each life, each voice, as the invisible power moved according to his own desire and strength. Beads of sweat began to pour down his forehead at the sheer effort put into the incredible distance the walls of his will were stretched.

Invisible tendrils of power and will began to flow carefully above and underneath the ocean waters. Luffy felt a slight tap towards the front-right of his mind and he shifted all of his haki in that single direction because his mind knew something was there.

The sudden wave of newly found emotion and voices sent the young Pirate King into a small gasping fit as tendrils of will retracted several metres from their place. Anger, rage, excitement, competitive tension, anticipation, and blotches of hate that varied in strength. There were so many people. And Luffy doubted any in his crew could sense it. Reaching those tendrils out once again with precise carefulness, Luffy began to do the counting.

All in all, there were a good few thousand at least…

Had all the freaking New World pirates been sent after them or something…?

Luffy briefly recalled that moment in Fishman Island when he had knocked out a good 50,000 people. This was different though. That was 50,000 unprepared and untrained wannabes thrown into a mockery of a battle with a sharp stick believing that no one would take them on. This wasn’t even the Grand Line. This was the North Blue and each force was ready for the New World surely. Compared to those on the island, most of those that he sensed at sea were weaker. That didn’t make them ‘not strong’ though. And there were definitely stronger forces too, though still not near the level of himself and that monster, Teach. But each and every single one had a hell of a lot of determination. A strong will. Luffy would have smiled at the thought if all of that well-rooted determination weren’t being aimed with killing intent towards himself and his own crew…

And while on the topic of his crew…

Luffy looked into the eyes of each and every one that could turn their gaze to meet his own. Each had some weapon pointing at a vital spot and, in their current messed up state, Luffy doubted any of them was up to fighting off this many people. For the time being, the Strawhats stood at the weaker end and would need to deal with that. If only he could have noticed the presences earlier…

And then there was Robin…

Luffy’s eyes watered and stung terribly at the one presence that was still lacking despite her being there. Eyebrows raised and tipped back slightly as anger and determination turned to a trembling grief and the breath in his lungs caught and tangled inside his throat making it impossible to make that much-needed inhale. He was the captain… He was the King of the Pirates! He had lost so many already but he still had his nakama. He should’ve… he should’ve been able to… been able to…

His mind trailed off and his mind would have completely closed in on itself in bitter grief had it not been for the accidental falling of his eyes onto the rest of his crew that lay, determined, before him. And Chopper… the smallest and youngest was a mess that wasn’t even awake but Luffy could at least see the small rise and fall of the little one’s chest. He had to pull through for the rest of his crew. He had lost many people before in battle and this time was no different. Hold back whatever grief there was for the moment… get himself and everyone else he cared about to safety, and then finally, when all that was over, they would all be allowed to spare the time and heart to properly grieve. It was horrible, he knew, but it was necessary.

He had been in situations similar to this plenty of times, even if not in a while, and each one took a big risk but they always made it out. Surely they would make it out of this one too.

‘Do I do it?’ Luffy let that question sink into the air between him and his injured crew as he faced the dark clouds that continued to pour over him before setting his questioning gaze over Zoro, Sanji and Jimbei. Each was injured and bloody, each facing or caging their grief in their own way, and each were just as determined and ready to get up and fight.

The trio all read the unvoiced question. Jimbei lowers his head slightly as a sign of agreement – barely a nod. Sanji grits his bloody teeth with unshed tears in his eyes as grief turns to determination and Zoro doesn’t do anything more than blink for not even half a second longer than usual but for Luffy, it’s enough. They all see his doubts. As captain, he needs to learn to carry them and move no matter how many there may be because time is the single battle he knew he couldn’t win against. None of the four could be entirely certain of anything in a scenario like this but Luffy knew he would do everything to protect his nakama, and his nakama knew they would do anything to protect their captain. If they’re sure of anything, it’s that they need to risk in order to even have a hope of getting out alive. And at the moment they know what they need to do get to the Sunny and Coup de Burst out of this island…


	7. Before it's too late ii

 

Luffy’s gaze briefly flickers and rests on their crew’s archaeologist and doctor, going over Franky’s own broken form before returning to the trio’s. He knows everyone who is able wants to help and he would have asked Franky to help if… if one of his arms weren’t broken off and the other wasn’t hanging so uselessly at his side. Looking at the rest of his nakama he looks for specific injuries that would make it impossible for them to walk back themselves. Franky could walk as his legs weren’t broken but it was clear he wouldn’t be able to at all carry anyone extra. Brook had a dead leg considering the missing bones bellow his left femur. Sanji was determined to move and for this to work, for this to _really_ work, they needed to rely on Sanji’s legs. And at the moment those were bending off in cringingly unnatural angles. He gave Sanji a firm look that told his cook just how much was needed of him over the next few moments and Sanji fully returned the glare with one of his own. The message was clear.

Usopp was battered and bruised, held firmly into the soaking ground but there wasn’t any look of shame in his eyes. Only determination. Determination the rest of the crew would need to use to get out. Zoro was overall pretty terrible in his own way though he didn’t appear to be as bloody as the others. Whatever happened, he was affected in a way that likely wasn’t caused by his injuries. That thought made Luffy internally frown deeply. Drugs then? He noticed most of Chopper’s bleeding was coming from inside his mouth with few external injuries. From what he had learned from moments of boredom with the small doctor that meant something else was at play – something that couldn’t be seen. If… drugs were involved… that made things harder. Who knew how their bodies would react? At the same time… risks had to be made and both Zoro and Jimbei made it clear they were ready for such.

As for Robin… her body was all but bleeding out from her front and back as she continued to face away – back to her captain – as her body hooked around at an awkward angle. Her hair was a matted mess amongst the drenched soil and leaves. Her presence wasn’t even there; as though she didn’t exist at all. Luffy knew enough to recognise when someone was dead. Just… she was _his_ nakama. Barely four months ago she had come so close to finding out so much about the Void Century. She already knew _so_ much… but for any dreamer on his ship he knew that coming close would never be enough. Just like how Zoro _had_ to be the Greatest Swordsman. Sanji _had_ to find the All Blue and Luffy _had_ to become King of the Pirates. And just like Nami had to complete her map of the world…

That turned his sorrowful attention back towards his navigator. Still being held up and threatened by the tip of a small blade and strong hands. So close yet not enough until the very highest was reached. They would have to come back to this island one day…

Luffy could barely hear voices and deep mumbling and grunting was muffled by the strong wind against trees and plants as well as the clashing of heavy raindrops onto earth. Was that monster saying something…? Ah, maybe nothing.

Blackbeard could see the looks between the captain of the Strawhats and his crew. Honestly, it would take a complete idiot to miss them. The small glances, the subtle yet obvious-to-him changes between each of their expressions. He knew they were planning on escaping but honestly, how the hell would it even matter at this point anyway? Their ship had been well and truly dealt with and many more were on their way. He knew at this point it wouldn’t even matter if Strawhat did notice the marines heading over. All the pirates had what they needed to wipe them out on land. All the marines had what they needed in order to completely demolish them at sea. Assuming the small-numbered pirates _could_ get away for which, Teach didn’t underestimate for a second. Even battered, they were strong and determined to a scary degree. That’s why this would work no matter what. The captain of the Blackbeard Pirates Fleet and head of the Donovian Alliance simply turned to the first few people in sight that he knew he could rely on for this. The captain of the Vex Pirates was there and right next to him stood an even taller woman with a muscular build and wild dark red-ish-purple hair. Her mouth was highlighted and drawn back with lipstick into an openly sadistic grin that only hid her blade-worthy teeth. Bordiccha, captain of the Thorned Rose Pirates, was indeed a twisted woman worthy of her six hundred million beri bounty. He spoke between these two people about just what exactly he wanted them to do over the next short while. It was amid this conversation that he felt a massive extract of energy from the man now standing behind him.

Luffy withdrew all his will and energy and confined it to a single point in his mind. His very presence would be barely traceable, as it lay caged within his small body, demanding to be free just as the rest of the Pirate King’s nature. It was then that he gave his core and will the freedom it so desired as he unleashed it with great projective force out into a harsh wave of Conqueror’s Haki that washed over island. Blackbeard and various others staggered and toppled while the vast majority collapsed entirely, refusing to wake or even twitch. The next ten seconds became a blur as the capable members of his crew automatically twisted in their places to disarm and, in Zoro and Sanji’s case, completely knock out their assailants while simultaneously assisting the others.

Sanji quickly grabbed Robin’s lifeless form with fresh tears in his eyes as he carried her and made a quick break for the shore where he knew the Thousand Sunny was waiting. Zoro swiftly took hold of Brook and made room for Franky to run awkwardly to the ship for safety as he dealt with a couple other still-standing opponents. Jimbei freed Nami and took hold of Chopper as he gave Usopp the push he needed in order to start running.

Jimbei could still feel the effects of whatever had been injected into his blood stream. His body was lagging against what he wanted it to do and every act came with a newfound effort.

Zoro, Brook, Sanji with Robin, Franky, Jimbei, Chopper, Nami and Luffy did the thing they needed to escape this mess right now and it was working. Just run to the Sunny and get the hell out of there.

Luffy quickly battled off those he needed to, sending a final blast of haki and Teach one last glare before sprinting off in Gear Second to the rest of his nakama towards the Sunny. At first he saw the backs of his battle-worn crew, questioning lightly over as to why the sudden halt. It was not even a few seconds later looking up past the shore that he stood bewildered and torn with his family. The ship they had come to love and cherish and call home over the years was… broken. Looking at Franky, he knew the shipwright knew what was wrong and he could see the tears and grief in the man’s eyes. Hell, anyone could see what was wrong as the ship’s figurehead lay hidden below the waters while the stern was slightly risen out. Their ship was a complete… wreck. They wouldn’t be able to leave on the Sunny no matter how much they wanted to. There was only one option left in leaving and that would be to leave on another ship.

Luffy acted with speed in getting himself into the air through the use of skywalk only to be followed by a worse for wear-looking Sanji. Getting as high as possible Luffy’s eyes widened as his mind processed the fleet of _marine_ ships heading their way, spreading between Blackbeard’s ships (including several others he didn’t recognise) and the Sunny. They were coming…

Another two bangs came loud and clear from the island as two red flares flew upwards followed by a thin trail of smoke. Only for two more bangs to follow as two identical, though green, flares to shoot upwards from the largest ship in the centre of all the marine’s ships. And then the sounds of canons and guns resonated throughout the whole island as the marines attacked. Looking back towards the Sunny and his own crew, Luffy could see and feel the presences of the other pirates quickly gathering towards that single point.

_‘One hell of an ambush…’_

People flooded in from everywhere as Sanji and Luffy shared a despairingly desperate look and crashed back down to meet with the rest of the mourning crew who crowded with tear-filled eyes around Robin and their sunken ship.

They had to do something fast and that meant taking a ship. Luffy set sorrowful eyes on Robin and suddenly he felt so much older than the young age of twenty-one that his body was. If he wanted the rest of his family to get out… he had to make harsh decisions that no one wanted to hear or do, but needed.

“Zoro, put Brook over Franky’s shoulder to carry. Brook, hold on. Sanji, carry them both as well as Chopper.”

His own voice was hard and held none of the childishness it usually would. This was that battle-hardened spirit of his that he used during harsh moments like these in order to get everyone through it.

“Nami and Usopp, hold on to each other. Zoro, I’m taking you as well. Jimbei, You swim,” his own voice trailed slightly into something more quiet and broken. “R-Robin needs to stay behind.”

The Strawhat Pirates each flinched and cringed at that. None of them ever left anyone behind. But despite all the fear and the grief they knew the situation they were in and each one knew how big of an ask it was for the captain to make the decision that was necessary. For that, they gave their support.

Each of them got into the positions their captain ordered of them. The nearest island was a couple weeks away by ship but they could think about that once they were away. There was no ship for them to use. They were either too far away or surrounded by navy ships… So they did what they could. Run.

Sanji jumped across the shore into the air holding Franky firmly by the waist as the cyborg carefully balanced himself so Brook wouldn’t fall from his ruined shoulder. Luffy didn’t make sure Chopper was safe as he knew that, even with legs in ruins, Sanji would make sure they would all be okay. Jimbei dove into the water and Luffy made his move with Usopp, Nami and Zoro.

Nami and Usopp held onto each other tightly as Luffy kept an arm wound around the two a few times for security, being sure to give enough room for their arms as Usopp moved to get a small slingshot from his pocket in the stead of his larger green one that had been left in the forest. Luffy then did the same for Zoro before following Sanji’s trail in his skywalk.

He heard thuds as he sent out another more condensed wave of haki into the crowd of following pirates but he knew not all of them had fallen. Especially not Teach at this time; not when the monster was so close to getting what he wanted regardless of the blood spilt of his own crew.

Luffy ran threw the sky as he held on tightly to his nakama. Zoro was in no state to fight with his swords. If he actually had them… And despite Usopp’s attempts to shift in Luffy’s hold in order to fight with his sling and few remaining bits of ammo, Luffy wouldn’t budge as his mind focused singularly on getting his nakama out to safety.

So it was in that fixed mindset that he didn’t notice the shouts of his friends close to him and only registered the oncoming movements too late as an incredibly sharp burning pain pierced his right calf.

His mind refocused into his surroundings as a hot wet ran thickly and clogged at the end of his sandal.

“Luffy!!” Usopp shouted loudly as he felt his best friend suddenly stiffen.

Zoro saw the blood flicking about from the heel of his captain’s foot as the younger man continued to dash through the air and could turn just enough to see all the weapons being aimed at them and most of all, Luffy. But the damn idiot wouldn’t run the damn side!!


	9. Before it's too late iii

Usopp turned his neck slightly at the sound of a shriek from the woman next to him only to see an oncoming mass of marine ships.

_‘What the hell…? I should have noticed earlier dammit!!’_

Not that he could do anything about it in his current position and having a dazed Nami by his side didn’t make things easier.

Nami, on the other hand, was terrified. Over the years she had learnt to become someone brave. Someone who faced everything together with her captain and nakama by her side as they stood together as a family. She had her moments of fear, sure, but she learnt to get through them like Usopp had. This scenario changed all that… The small fleet coming in from the distant side of the island that was beginning to fire anything and everything at the broken up Strawhat crew was enough to make her nervous. The hundreds of strong pirates allied with Blackbeard all standing behind her was another thing. And she could feel the air shift slightly as bullets pierced the winds followed by who-knows-what-else…!

Luffy felt another burning sensation through his back, a close call from the spine, as he felt another bullet hit. A terrible drowsiness set over him as he felt his body weaken and ready to fall into a sleep. He silently cursed seastone and the jerk who had to go make them into bullets… His thoughts wandered to that time he had lost to Kuma and that moment he had come to believe he had lost his crew. And that time on Omatsuri Island when he had been told his crew had been forever taken from him. As his mind turned fuzzy and past, present and imagination all blurred into a single crazy thing, the thought crossed that perhaps this moment was like one of those moments.

In a moment that his mind focused and he realised the weight of the task at hand he looked over to Jimbei as another plan came to mind.

“Jimbei!!!!”

The fishman swam to the surface of the waters below Luffy at the call. Luffy looked with determination in mind towards Usopp and Nami.

“Take them!!” he yelled furiously and Jimbei could hear the desperation as he threw the already-injured navigator and sniper into his arms to carry with him.

Jimbei saw the blood dripping and seeping through the younger man’s already-red buttoned-up collared shirt. The dark blue of his pants only contrasted against the black-looking blood that dripped through and around the cuffs and sandals. The desperation was clear.

Luffy faced his bleeding swordsman and first mate.

“Zoro…?”

It had been a while since Luffy last felt the need to fear for his immediate crew and Zoro could see the need for it. It was his job to reassure his captain. The green-haired man pulled out the small cross-sword necklace he had gained from his final battle with Mihawk from around his neck.

“Aye captain.” It was all that was said and needed as Luffy quickly held Zoro over to block the onslaught of bullets.

Sparks ignited brightly against the dark clouds and heavy rain. It would have even looked beautiful if circumstances had been different.

Zoro and Luffy continued successfully for mere minutes before a loud clang was heard followed by a scream and loud splashes. The distraction was a praise and gift for the enemy pirates and marines as they took advantage of the moment.

Luffy had focused his attention to Sanji and the others. Nami was safe with Jimbei, Chopper and Usopp but Sanji had fallen into the water several metres ahead with the remaining other two – one of which was a devil fruit user.

“Luffy!” the grunt of a yell came from just behind his shoulder as the swordsman continued to thrust and slice with speedy precision against the oncoming shower of seastone.

More searing pain through the arm holding onto Zoro and he could feel the limb beginning to weaken and retract against his will.

_‘No…’_

Jimbei tried to get to Sanji and the rest of his fallen family as quickly as possible. Turning to Usopp and Nami, he told them to hold their breath and to block Chopper’s airways as well as possible as well before diving into the harsh raging waters. Jimbei was a brilliant swimmer and being a fishman truly added to that gift. But he could do nothing about the presences that slowly lessened into nothing as seconds turned to minutes and he knew he had to come up so the others could breathe. He dove down again, deeper this time and faster. The smell of blood thickened through his gills as he came closer to his goal.

A harsh tapping could be felt against his shoulder as Usopp indicated he and the others needed air soon and Jimbei could only try to reach out a little more.

Skin brushed against skin as the fishman felt fingers slip against the tough skin of his wrist. There. He stretched his hand out and used his ability to guide the water to bring the figure he could no longer sense closer towards himself. Grabbing on, he thrust himself out into the surface as quickly as possible while maintaining his hold of the others. The second he reached the top he felt a burning swell inside, just inches away from his heart. The burning continued and pain turned to sharp bursts throughout his entire body. Desperately, he checked if the others were okay. In one arm, he held a tired and gasping Usopp and unconscious Nami. Between them sat a still-limp Chopper with a stiff tanned hand of Usopp’s barely away from the tip of his blue nose. His presence, now too, was silent.

In his other hand, however, was the limp arm of Sanji as he lay bent over, moving with the harsh waves alongside the rest of them, many waves going over and refusing to give the others breath. Franky and Brook were nowhere to be seen.

Cheering is heard from the marines side and all that were awake among the Strawhat Pirates could only glower in response.

“Jimbei! Keep going!” the voice of the captain would always ring louder to Jimbei than any others’, no matter how strong the storm.

He could hear the tender care in the man’s voice. The man that stood the King of the Pirates. The man who only wanted so for freedom. Jimbei could also feel the pain from earlier begin to subside into a dull numbing sensation that would soon render him completely useless. He turned his eyes to Usopp who was the only one able to return his gaze.

Usopp could see the question in the Jimbei’s eyes. The willingness to put the captain before the rest of the crew was something each crewmember shared equally. They knew the potential costs of becoming a pirate and each had proven themselves ready to pay that price at least once, so long as it were for their captain or another one of the people they had come to call brothers and sisters. Nakama. So Usopp knew that his own life, as well as Nami’s and Chopper’s had to be given for this that their captain could continue to live even if he hated them forever for it. With his nod, the fishman let out the tears that pooled in his eyes in such overpowering grief before letting go of the three.

As Usopp slipped into the water and he briefly looked towards his fellow-fallen nakama, he allowed his mind to wander to all the moments he had come to cherish between himself and the rest of the crew. How proud his father would be to know that he did everything he could to protect his captain. And with a smile on his face, his consciousness drifted to a blissful black, feeling warm arms wrap around his soul as his mother welcomed him with open arms.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

A deep never-ceasing pain spread from deep inside Luffy’s heart as he cried openly for the lost presences of his fallen family members. Eyes stung terribly and all he could do was waver in the air as he tried to steady himself and Zoro in order to keep going.

Zoro fought on, mind switching between bursts of rage and incredible sorrow and grief for his family. Sanji had come to be the closest to him aside from Luffy and though the two still fought regularly, the two would always be willing to fight anyone who tried to attack the other man’s pride. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he silently sobbed and his heart retched with pain. He continued only for the care of his captain and for the current vengeful rage that urged the small sword in his hand onwards.

Jimbei stops to look over to Luffy. Luffy knows what he’s done but he isn’t angry with him for his inability to protect the others.

“Luffy-kun! It has been an honour to fight alongside you and to be part of this family! I thank you!” And his head twists to face the oncoming navy ships.

“Jimbei! Please! Please don-“

“I hope to protect you this one last time. Please! Be there for my brothers back at my old home!”

Jimbei’s expression is set firm. Tears threaten to fall but he will allow them to only when he has earned it.

Luffy’s own tears stop as he takes in the courage and determination of the man who had travelled with him the least yet stood equally loyal as any other of the crew.

“Jimbei,” his voice comes through softer than before but audible enough for the man beneath and his eyes close. “Thank you.”

And his head lowers in a motion to that of a bow. Jimbei knew that, had the pain been less, had his captain not been running and had his arms not been full, he would have lowered himself to the floor in his bow of thanks.

Tears once again pool in the fishman’s eyes as he lowers his head in return before swimming directly towards the fleet of ships.

Jimbei knew he couldn’t take on all of them. He couldn’t even protect three people in the crew. But he could protect his captain and hope with all his heart that the man would escape. Determination set in his mind with such clarity and focus as he used an oncoming wave to elevate himself to the deck of one of the smaller ships.

The marines all froze in place on deck as they took in the sight of their bleeding intruder. Bleeding and dying but he would give them one hell of a fight.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

Only Luffy and Zoro were left. Too far to be hit by those on land while the marines on their ships were plenty filled with the task of getting rid of the intruder. The sounds of explosions and clashes replayed over and over again in the mind of the captain of the fallen Strawhat Pirates with the scenes of his crew slowly dying.

He could feel Zoro’s aura slowly weaken and the blood soak from the swordsman’s torso into his own shoulder and back. His own blood continued to pool at his back and drip into the waters underneath.

There were no seakings to call in this weather and the rain alone allowed the pair’s blood to flow more freely into the waters below; not giving it the time it needed in order to clot effectively.

The skywalk technique was becoming more and more tiring. Rain made the world look truly hazy and sounds slowly became deaf to him. All was left were the constant regretful mumblings of the wind and waters.

A quiet thud was heard as the sounds of metal against metal halted. Luffy felt a slumping of a body against his shoulder and neck. Arms splayed out behind his back as the final presence seemed to evaporate into the air.

“O-oi, Z-Zoro…”

Smaller and faster ships made way from the larger marine vessels and more weapons were directed towards him.

Luffy was the King of the Pirates. He had been so for almost a complete year since turning twenty-one. He was the freest in the world! He had met with the man he had come to idolise and respect since he was seven. He had been with his completed family for a good two years. And it all seemed to cut so short…

He held firmly onto Zoro’s lifeless body as he staggered through the air, occasionally falling closely to the surface of the ocean. The sky seemed to scream and it was as though the stars themselves pierced through the clouds though it honestly could be his ever-fading consciousness.

Luffy had learned to live life without regrets through his oldest brother and later, through his crew. Shanks had said he was a great pirate – the greatest pirate – and that Ace would have been proud. He didn’t think so though… What great pirate would lose his crew like that…? What- What kind of person was he for not being strong enough? It started since losing Ace. It worsened two years later as battles became harder and the prices of losing became too great. And now, what more could he lose as his crew all died around him?

A small weight was removed from Luffy’s neck as the thin familiar string of his straw hat came loose. He watched helplessly, carrying the dead weight of his last friend, as the blood-dirtied hat blew from his back into the ocean depths. It sat at the top for moments before the pressure of the rain became too much for the worn hat to withhold as it sank.

_‘Of course,’_ he thought bitterly.

And as his broken-down legs continued to strain and fight without meaning, and his arms tried uselessly to carry his closest friend and first mate, the small, motored boats loaded with a couple men with guns came closer in. That final bullet to the back of his left knee was all it took to bring him crashing from the sky to the waters he had come to love.

His eyes continued to gaze over his swordsman whom had fallen into the waters with him. Luffy was at least grateful that Zoro hadn’t had to see him fail like this so soon after they had been so sure they would all get out together like usual.

Bitter and painful grief shattered him at his core, stronger than all the pressure of the terrible seawater combined. It tore through his mind and spirit like a rake made from a twisted version of Zoro’s swords and the only words that crossed his mind before it numbed entirely was a horrible water-muffled silent scream of _‘I’m sorry!’_

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

It was black and empty. Neither hot nor cold. Completely silent but and yet… were those… waves…? It seemed as though whispers were being carried out with a gentle rocking of water; a beautiful calm in comparison to the earlier storm.

Luffy could hear heavy repeating sounds of… something. Rain? Oh, so the storm was still there then. It just felt so… quiet.

Snippets of words and phrases mixed in with the resounding droplets of rain against an even larger body of water. Small words of “sorry”s and “couldn’t warn” played a bit, like broken up apologies being recycled and regurgitated back out into the system as it continued.

“wa..n’t… meant to hap..n”               “learn”

                                    “good l..ck..”                “go home”

                                                “it’s …k..y”

                        “it will be okay, Luffy”

 

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

A gentle rocking swayed his consciousness slowly back into awareness. What had happened? Luffy paused to reflect on the last few moments. He had been with his crew and… did he fall asleep?

Light pierced through eyes scrunched closed and warmth cloaked over his skin. Deciding it was time to figure out where his crew was and when lunch would be he opened his eyes. Memories loaded his mind and clouded every sense as he was forced to remember the last twenty-four hours…

“Luffy?” a deep familiar and concerned voice reached his ears and Luffy froze in fear as he looked up into the eyes of Akainu.


	10. Home?

Sakazuki sat in the infirmary beside the bed of the small boy they had all come to grow fond of over the months. A sigh left him in his worry as he reflected everything that had happened over the past couple days.

There were the bandits from two days ago though the leader, Higuma, had been dealt with and was currently being detained on the marine ship at the port. Then there was his arm…

 Sakazuki turned his head slightly to his left arm and frowned. Overall, it had been worth it. His forearm could be replaced anyway and at least Luffy was safe. He had been so worried when he and his men had arrived at port, returning from their final mission in the East Blue, only to hear that the marines’ favourite little troublemaker had done exactly as his title suggested…

 He had searched with his men only to hear a high yelp in pain followed by a terrible roar. Moments later he found a small clearing with various plants all broken and strewn across as well as a few of the remaining bandits from earlier. Two things had stood out to him and that was the small boy looking up in fear into the eyes of the colossal striped beast towering over him – jaws wide and teeth showing, ready to shred the child below.

 He had protected Luffy just in time as he made to hit the wild creature, only for it to clamp firmly on his forearm before absolutely making a mess of it. Sakazuki had just managed to make the hit using hit other, causing the tiger to collapse. He had barely managed to get his arm out and, at the time, he had thought it would have made it through. Now he knew otherwise but was already past the mourning over the loss of his arm by the time it had been cleanly amputated and was in the process of healing.

 The bandits had done a number on Luffy though and because of that, he scowled. The boy had been battered with harsh bruises – a thick red ring around his neck that carried smaller finger-sized circles of purple and blue around it – as well as a few deep cuts that spread about his chest. Sakazuki could practically feel the mocking laughter of the bandits radiate from the bleeding lines when he had seen them.

 Sakazuki was furious with the bandits. It wasn’t even close to the worst of the injuries he had seen in his years as a marine – even in training. Still, it didn’t bring any comfort in knowing there were more people like that; ones that took advantage of those that were weaker in an attempt to find power.

 And then there had been that look in Luffy’s eyes when he had come to rescue him…

 At first, he had thought it had been in fear of the tiger. Mixing that with the bodies of the bandits and the injuries those scum had given him as well as Sakazuki’s own destroyed arm, it made sense Luffy would have been terrified.

 He had called out for help as he went to make sure Luffy was physically all right. But then when he was close enough and bent over he could see nothing more than a glazed sheen over the kid’s eyes, completely unseeing, and an increasingly worried tug pulled at his gut. Something had been clearly wrong…

 “Luffy?” he held the raven-haired child close to him with his tiger-bloodied arm and into his eyes with unmasked concern.

“Luffy?”

 The kid in his arm had stiffened suddenly and began to shake. He was about to tell him that everything would be okay – tell him not to worry. Just when he was about to, however, small child’s eyes flickered upwards to meet his gaze.

 The absolute _horror_ he saw in the child’s eyes just before he passed out were something he wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

 Sakazuki closed his eyes, mind once again returning to the present as he waited for the boy to wake up.

 “Captain Sakazuki,” his friend and marine commander entered, waking the older man from his thoughts.

 “What is it Corvin?”

 “The others are getting worried; you should eat.”

 The commander was right. It had been a while and he knew he should at least go out and see the others. Still though…

He turned to the sleeping child all the marines had come to grow attached to over the months one last time; heart clenching a little at the bandages he was now wearing. Standing up, he gave a curt nod to Corvin before following from behind as his lifetime friend exited the room. Luffy would be okay, his mind told him.

 OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

 It was dark cold and wet. Those few sensations were all Luffy could remember as light pierced through closed eyes. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. He couldn’t quite remember anything else. Perhaps he had slept in from a party with his crew?

 His head felt heavy and tingled a little, almost as though a huge seastone weight had been surgically added to the inside of his head...

 But then sounds came to him and he could feel for certain that he was dry. Smells of weird chemicals he had never learned the names of filtered through his nose and it reminded him a bit like Chopper’s own medical room but at the same time...

 There was no ocean. After spending the past four years out at sea with only a small portion spent on land in comparison made him completely familiar with all the sensations the sea came with. Sensations such as the gentle or chaotic rocking of the waves and the thick smells of salt and fish were almost constant. Right now however, there were none. Wherever he was, it was flat and still and just as he was about to open his eyes, he remembered.

 North Blue. Last island. Ambush. Blackbeard. Marines. Cannons, bullets, tears, red, pain, empty promises of escape for...

…His _crew_...

 And drowning.

 Oh, that’s right. Robin had been dead at the start and from then it had all gone-

And Zoro. _Zoro_ had died in-

Grief and emotional pain flooded through him just as much as the waters he had drowned in had. So many different raging currents of overwhelming emotion that rocked his core and Luffy didn’t think he could handle what he was feeling even physically. Everything just... hurt _so_ much. He didn’t want to wake up. But then, he had died, right? He couldn’t have just imagined that feeling as the pulsing in his ears and chest slowly subsided until it gave up altogether.

 His heart would never continue where his crew couldn’t and that single sentence had kept the young Pirate King going when everyone else died. But then his crew had died; he watched them. Then this must be Hell if they had all died and he still couldn’t see them. Was this the price of making the ultimate failure as captain?

 After what felt like hours of torment – or perhaps it had only been seconds – Luffy’s eyes flew open and his stomach lurched inside at the overwhelming memories and sensations.

 Gasping for breath, Luffy’s small hands clung to the white sheets of the bed and his body tipped to the side as stomach acid climbed to his throat and all he could do was vomit.

 Finished, all he could hear was his own panting and his eyes had once again closed. His body felt like there was a small painful fire burning him from the inside-out. But hadn’t he seen...?

 Slowly sitting up from his current downed position he opened his eyes and-

Luffy tried to process the sudden change in, well, everything. The walls were a light brown as wooden boards made up the inside of the room and for a second, he wondered where all the white had come from. There was a small desk in the corner of the room with a small light and then just by where he had been laying, there was another bed and-

  _‘Why the hell is there a bed? Maybe this is Heaven or... something? And I’ll get to see my crew soon – if they want to see me...’_

But he couldn’t think like that just yet in his current discombobulated (a wonderful word Law had taught him and he would forever be happy to remember) state.

 And maybe he would have continued to think along those lines as the childish part of him was happy to think of some mighty deity (if there was one) having a desk.

 If only he could think properly... But it was hard. Emotions and his horrible mental state had collapsed his developed ability to think logically and he hated it. How had he survived with so little thinking in the past??

 The sudden image of Akainu popped up into his head and a jolt of a shiver rushed down his back. He couldn’t have seen Akainu. He hadn’t even come to the battle!! Or had he? But then something in his gut told him that there was something different about the image that had briefly popped up into his head and he didn’t know why. But he had to get out at least so then he could-

 “Ah, Luffy-kun you’re awake!”

 The sudden address was startling to say the least and Luffy flinched at the voice. His mental state did nothing to help as his head shot up instantly in the direction of the voice only to see-

 “Old man Chi!!”

 Luffy could practically see the tick mark appear on the old man’s forehead as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in an attempt to compose himself before possibly hitting him.

 “I thought I already told you Luffy…” he started through slightly grit teeth. “You don’t call people ‘old man’, it’s disrespectful!”

 The doctor from his hometown…

When Luffy had been little, before his grandfather had taken him to Mount Corvo, this guy would always patch him up. Old man Chiko. Of course, he would always get told off… and it wasn’t as though he had listened anyway.

 “And it’s Chiko! Chi-ko-san!”

 He looked so much younger than the old man he had last seen when he had set sail four years ago. Not to mention… incredibly tall.

 Wait… hadn’t Luffy died though? And was probably headed to- 

“Ah!! Old man Chi-san died too!!!!” he couldn’t help the surprised and dreaded shout from escaping his mouth.

 At first he was going to ask the old – well, younger now at least – man how in the world he died in the time he was away when a clenched fist to the top of his head interrupted his thoughts.

 Looking up, Luffy couldn’t help but spot every single difference he now saw in the old man and compare it to the man he had left behind in the Windmill Village.

His beard was shorter and much darker in colour and there certainly weren’t as many wrinkles than the day he left and… man the guy had grown…

 “As if I would die on this village; the place still needs me! Don’t start wishing so early, Luffy!” he raised his voice with feigned anger before it suddenly softened into the gentle care that Luffy always remembered the guy expressing.

“But it’s nice to see that you’re awake. The others are out waiting for you,” he continued as he gestured to outside the open door with one of his hands.

 And that’s where Luffy could see the path from the room he was in. Looking through a window that sat almost behind him Luffy could a few very familiar windmills standing firm in the distance. He was…

_‘Home…?’_


	11. Okay Eventually

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!!! I know it’s early but I’m into it today so I figured, why not?? As things continue through, it’ll start to pick up pace. At the same time though, it won’t be for a while. This fanfiction work is… going to be long, if anything. This is pretty much going to be a rite of passage, me thinks. Meaning that it’ll follow through the important aspects in Luffy’s life as he grows. Hence the very long rise and fall of the crew. Also, in case You haven’t yet noticed, there are MANY OCs. Vex Pirates, Thorned Rose Pirates, Old Man Chiko and Commander Corvin are all my own characters. But I love them so that’s good enough for me. Now! Onwards!!

He was…

_‘Home…?’_

It only then registered to Luffy that the old doctor was holding the door open for him with an expectation for him to exit. His mind was completely blank and unthinking as he seemed to tip-toe, almost cautiously, out of the small hut-like building. He would have continued out had he not been staring out in wonder at the brightness and level of simplicity of the view before him.

A small chuckle sounded from behind him. He had completely lost thought of Old Man Chi and the sudden gentle sound was startling. He had heard canons, guns and yelling so much over his four years of captainship and his memories of what had been just moments before made it all the more bewildering.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Every day since coming here, I’ll stand out and admire that view. Even more so at the port. Something so serene and tranquil.”

Luffy turned his head to meet the man that now stood beside him. Clean white doctor’s shirt and dark pants; something the old man wore on a daily basis back at home. Something about what Old Man Chi said had caught his mind the second he heard it though he never voiced the question. He hadn’t always lived in the Windmill Village?

“Though Luffy,” the man continued. “I never took you to be one to care so much about your surroundings,” he said with a light chuckle perfectly meeting his own gaze as the man looked down.

Looking forward, gazing almost nostalgically into the horizon, he added, “life might just pass you by and by then, by that point, it’ll be too late to try and see anything more than the end gate that meets in front of you.”

Something in his eyes turned a little sad and Luffy felt the older man’s aura. His voice. It was tearful yet… happy? Luffy pondered on the image of his hometown that spread in front of him. His first thought was that he shouldn’t be here. ‘After-death’ wasn’t something he had heard many people talk about over his twenty-one years of life. When he and Ace had thought Sabo to be dead, Luffy had liked to think the blond older brother had been watching over him as he took each new step in his journey towards becoming the King of the Pirates. After the many new numbers of losses, well…

He had put little time to thinking about it. ‘Live with the living’ was a concept he had believed in since the beginning but it was still important to remember those who had been lost. Give them life with his memories. Like he learned to do with Ace.

After dying, however, perhaps this was something that simply happened before going… elsewhere…? Heaven? Hell, maybe? Or perhaps even nothing. He didn’t know. For now, his mind was caught up at home and that made sense. Who wouldn’t want to be home in their very last moments? Perhaps his own crew had gone home too…

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes at the thought. Oh how he missed them.

And now he grasped a little of what the old man had been saying and the words echoed through his thoughts.

_‘Life might just pass you by and by then, by that point, it’ll be too late to try and see anything more than the end gate that meets in front of you.’_

Luffy wasn’t usually one good for words, having taken everything at face value since the beginning. Perhaps that was what had lead all his friends to where they were now…

But sometimes, despite the person he was, some words could stick to him like Zoro stuck to the wrong path wherever he went! He supposed this was one of those times. Maybe death makes people smarten up a little…

“Oi, Luffy-kun, you should probably head for the bar. That’s where the others will be anyway… And go hit that idiot Sakazuki brat’s head for me! After everything that’s happened that one should be in bed resting, not meandering about town. I don’t care if he’s a marine, he’s an idiot if he does this every time he gets himself hurt,” Old Man Chi grumbled as he headed back into his small working place, slamming the door a little through his care-infused frustration.

_‘Huh..?’_

A brief image of his own doctor popped into his head, recalling the old man’s (because even after all this time Luffy could only remember having ever seen him as that and refused to call him otherwise) attitude towards a patient. Most doctors the young Pirate King had come across were the same; caring, loving, and would never cease to be infuriated by a patient that wouldn’t listen to needed advice. Even Law though he would have never said it to the guy aloud…

And wait… so, he was meant to go to Partys Bar? It wasn’t as though there were another bar he could go to without stepping foot into Edge Town and... even as a memory, he didn’t want to go into that place.

Also, what was it the old man had said about it? Others were waiting? Luffy supposed he had been referring to Shanks and his crew. Or… the memories of them. His mind was still all mixed up. He had also heard a name. Sakazuki? Who in all the Blues was that? Something about the name seemed familiar though so, maybe he would recognise the guy when he saw him? Though the memory seemed a little more towards the recent side unlike all the memories of the people he could remember _clearly_ from his life as a child.

Deciding to go to the bar, he headed off.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

It hadn’t taken all that long to get there. The Windmill Village was small and despite the shops and houses, they were all very much neatly in line. It was one of the benefits in the large amount of land there was. Not that there had been many buildings to begin with, though.

On his way there, Luffy could see for himself the home he had come to miss. Luffy hadn’t come to the village after being left at Mt Corvo until Ace had left. Makino had visited when she could as well as the mayor though it wasn’t often. When he had visited again, more houses had been built and more kids had been born and played outside. Everything had… grown. By the time he had left the place had been a lot busier. And now, it was like everything had reverted back to what it was like before.

Seeing the outside of the old bar a big part of him had grown in was a little similar to the feeling he got when that damned CP9 _cat_ with the pet pigeon had stuck him through with his finger. Helpless, breathless, and all too caught up in the pain of the guilt that ate him from the inside.

Bright coloured paint decorated the bar’s front. Makino had always kept the place in good shape. He had never said goodbye to her… He hadn’t spoken to her once since the day he left. Couldn’t write to save his life (thank goodness it had never come to that) and never paid off that debt she probably never believed he would pay. She had done so much for him over his life. He never did say thank you.

Walking in, he took in the numerous blotches of bright white shirts and blue scarves. He blinks at first, not quite understanding the situation and then-

His shoulders tensed and his body stiffened at the sight. Marines were all over the inside of Makino’s bar. His eyes widened in alarm before narrowing in caution as the people in front of him continued to eat, drink and chat happily amongst themselves.

His haki. He should have been able to tell how many people there were! Maybe it didn’t work the same in memories? Or perhaps it was because he had simply stopped caring after losing his most important treasure – the one that was irreplaceable.

Knowing that his haki hadn’t done anything to aid him only made him more cautious. Luffy was small now. Child-sized, in fact. Every adult would easily tower over him at full height…

This was a memory, he briefly reminded himself. It was all okay…

So he went to sit down in his usual seat. A few marines had nodded a little in sign of acknowledgment of his presence and everything felt foreign. As he went to climb onto the high stool he noticed the person at the seat to his left. The man was definitely tall, even for an adult, with very short dark hair that stuck out a little and then he turned around.

“Ah, Luffy,” he turned, facing Luffy completely, showing all signs of relief.

Not that it mattered. Luffy shouldn’t be hearing this voice.

_‘He shouldn’t be here! He shouldn’t be- no…’_

Panic seized his mind at the man beside him. At _Akainu_ sitting beside him.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

Maybe Luffy could bring himself to not move? Every inch of his being demanded escape despite not being held. He wanted to run. Leave. Get out. At this angle, Luffy was so much smaller than before and suddenly Akainu looked so much larger…

Where in his memories had this happened??

Sakazuki, for his part, could only continue to watch with increasing worry as Luffy began to hyperventilate with eyes blown wide in panic. What had happened?? Maybe it was-

“Luffy, I’m not angry at you. This isn’t your fault you know,” he calmly stated as he moved to ruffle the kid’s hair, pausing only for a second as Luffy’s shoulders twitched slightly at the motion. Aside from that, the kid seemed completely frozen.

Luffy’s mind was a mess. This was Akainu. Akainu with Akainu’s voice that had caused Ace to refuse to run and voice that had taunted him for every loss he had ever endured. Akainu’s hands that had wore the blood of a sworn brother and so so so many others. His heart raced with each thought that crossed.

“Luffy?”

But for one reason or another this man was different. His voice held none of its usual hate. He called him ‘Luffy’ and not that stupid ‘son of Dragon’ or ‘wretched pirate’ title.

“Just take deep breaths okay?”

And Luffy listened.

Rushed but light footsteps sounded against the wooden floorboards and Luffy could hear the person he had come to see as an older sister since he was little.

“Sakazuki-san! Is Luffy alright?”

That alone was enough to settle him into a calm.

Sakazuki noticed the child’s sudden change in breathing as it began to settle to a more regular pace.

“Yes, he’s okay. Luffy?”

Luffy dared to give the man a headstrong analytical stare and the man in front of him stiffened slightly. He could do it. He had done this before so many times. He no longer cared if he was in some weird messed up version of his memories and nightmares, he willed himself to _hear_ and _feel_ again.

And there it was. A small murmuring of an aura that was barely a fragment in similarity with the terrifying and haunting demon he had come to know. It was gentle and relaxing, caring but firm. And no where near as strong as what he remembered but this person in front of him was not Akainu. Only someone that wore his face. He tried his best to look past this factor.

“Y-yes?” thinking about it, his own voice sounded far too high. It came from something small, weak and horribly vulnerable with none of the strength that it had before.

“Do you need anything?” the man (because that’s what he was. Not the demon that haunted him in the night) asked carefully.

“N-no. I’m…” Luffy considered his next words with a carefulness not many had seen him show before. “I’m okay.”

That’s what the wind had said to him, hadn’t she? That it would be okay, even in death.


	12. Until Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am just informing readers that this is also posted on fanfiction.net. I tend to use that more frequently and so I haven't updated my chapters here in the past few weeks. HOWEVER, if anyone is reading on this site, I am okay with continuing here. Hope you enjoy!

In all the confusion and pain that continued to wrack his mind, Luffy had eventually gone to the one place in his hometown where he knew he could find comfort.  
So here he was, at the clearing by the cliff, sitting on a stump. The same one he and Ace had gone to together so many times.  
The waves sang her own wise song as the wind stayed silent.  
He didn’t cry. Didn’t speak. Just listened.

But the wind had been crying only earlier and he was in his head somewhere. Or at least he thought he was. He reminded himself very briefly that he had to keep himself open minded.  
That man, earlier, the one who wore Akainu’s face, people called him Sakazuki. And now Luffy realised why that name sounded familiar even though he hadn’t personally heard people call him that whenever the two crossed paths.

It had been hard to see that face, no matter how different it looked. A big part of him wanted to flee and shout and get everyone else the hell out but he couldn’t. Not even in his head. And then the rest of him wanted to just charge, attack and go for the kill. But then that man had given his forearm up to rescue to boy. _Supposedly._ And now here he was, the size of a seven-year-old child, listening as the wind blew gently in confusion. Luffy could _feel_ the confusion, as though she knew something didn’t fit.

“OIII!!!” he yelled out in lost frustration. “Where the hell am I?!?!”  
He missed home…  
His nakama and family.  
The Thousand Sunny and simply… that wonderful sense of belonging. Coming from that to… this… it felt like a piece of him belonged here. An old piece. And it only made him feel more lost.

Then the wind spoke.  
‘ __ **Where are you from?’  
** The question came more as a feeling, just like it usually did, and he felt somewhat pleased.  
“I… I should be with my crew! I shouldn’t even be alive… Please! Tell me where I am!!” he didn’t want to be lost in this terrible semi-familiar world.

And the wind spoke again but this time in feelings that simply couldn’t be turned into a sentence. It came as something old, just as the wind was, and knowing. Sensations of familiarity and comfort only to find one small tiny insignificant thing that absolutely did not belong in any way. She was expressing a glimpse of her life up until now – she _knew_ so _much_ about the world and he came and turned a little bit of it upside down.

And that’s when he understood that this place was real. He was somewhere that was… in a way, his house. But it wasn’t his _home.  
_ “I feel the same…” he said simply before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

A new presence alerted Luffy from his slumber and his eyes flew open automatically.  
He was tall, fairly young with dark blond hair that was tied back into a short ponytail, completely absent of any marine hat. What was the guy’s name…?

Corvin went to sit beside Luffy at the cliff’s edge as the sun began to set. It had taken a fairly long time to find the kid, considering he never actually went into the forest on his own, but in the end he was glad he had decided to. Luffy had been out of sorts since being taken into the mountains by the bandits to the point where he seemed to be heading into a panic attack. Then he had calmed, and something in him had changed. The kid’s eyes had kept roaming continuously as though he were looking for something specifically or perhaps simply searching.  
  
Sakazuki had been worried for Luffy and though Corvin wasn’t as close to the kid as was the marine captain, he knew his best friend more than any manual that he had been made to memorise.  
“Hey Luffy!”

Luffy had been staring at him since his arrival and Corvin would be lying if he had said he wasn’t unnerved. Luffy was a bright kid, constantly smiling ever so brightly. It was weird to see that in anyone, even children. He was also known for his short temper, which was partially the reason why the whole incident involving the bandits had occurred in the first place. He wasn’t angry though. From what he had heard, the kid had fought for their name. Not that a name really mattered to any of them, but it still took a level of guts (and idiocy).  
So after seeing a brightly smiling, confident to the highest degree, talkative kid every time they returned from a “clean-up trip” in the East Blue to… well, someone who constantly shifted his gaze as if searching, nervous and jittery, and _scared,_ whom looked as though he had seen a little too much of what life had to offer was… unsettling…

Luffy didn’t know what to reply with. From his… (timeline? World..?) place… a man like him would have been considered weak but now all Luffy had were his shortened childlike arms with no muscle but Observation Haki that told him this man could very easily overpower him. He didn’t like that thought…  
So he said nothing as the blond-haired man sat by his side and tried to meet his gaze.

“Sakazuki’s worried for you, ya know,” Corvin said casually.

His voice was friendly and light but Luffy had heard people like him before and knew that in the face of danger he would be as serious as needed. A fair bit like himself.  
‘ _And look where that got us?_ ’ he thought bitterly.

“Makino too. Everything okay?”

What was Luffy meant to say? He had… died only a short while ago along with his crew and didn’t know where they were and he was in this strange world that didn’t make sense so of course he clearly wasn’t going to be oka-

“Oi, Luffy man, just calm down.”

Oh, he had been panicking…  
With deep careful breaths Luffy managed to steady his mind carefully. Or at least as much as he could.

“It’s gonna be okay. What happened with Sakazuki wasn’t your fault, okay? I mean, sure, we were all worried! Heck, a part of me’s still worried for the captain. But he isn’t gonna keep his mind on it. And I have to get over it and so do you, okay?

‘ _Huh?’_ Oh, right. Sakazuki said something about “not blaming Luffy” and, well, he had overheard worried murmurs about a certain ‘missing arm’. Considering Luffy had expected Shanks to be around, and that the doctor had been there when he woke up, it hadn’t been… _too_ hard to put together.

Realising the this Sakazuki-person was his apparent friend in this place wasn’t exactly one of the easiest things to deal with… So he would just put up with this for as long as he needed until the guys would leave.

“I… I guess…” Luffy managed to draw out slowly with his speech.  
His own voice was still so unfamiliar…  
“Well, we should be gettin’ back I think. Wouldn’t want to worry the others any more, right?”

And with that the elder blond stood up, holding his hand out for the younger to grab. Blinking without expression, Luffy reached out and allowed himself to be pulled up to an easy stand and the two began to walk back to the village.

“Um…” Luffy started, “I’m gonna head home for the night but I will be able to come and see you guys tomorrow.”  
The words came out stiff and anyone listening wouldn’t be able to pass the caution and anxiety that laced them. Thankfully for whatever reason, the much taller man had let it go.

“Sure! But hey, Luffy?”

“Yeah?”

“We’ll be having our last ‘trip’ soon. Me and Sakazuki and the guys are expecting a call soon from Headquarters at some point over the next week calling us in.”

Luffy paused mid-step.  
“You guys are leaving…?”  
“Yeah… you gonna be okay without us kid?”

Luffy didn’t know what to think. He had been there barely a day and knew nothing about – well – anything! Who he was, where he was, how to get back, if he should get back… This marine – man – wanted to help with whatever he needed but not even _he_ knew.

So he settled on a simple “yeah” before saying goodbye and parting ways.

‘ _Now… where was ‘home’…?’_

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

He had found the place he had stayed before Dadan and his nights with Shanks and his crew. It was a small cottage-like house that was just a little way into the forest, fairly distant from Windmill Village but not too far to walk.  
It had been a strange path to remember as it wasn’t one he had taken in years but even _his_ memory had kept the odd semi-important things like that.

He lay on the futon at the edge of his bedroom. The air was stale and empty; like something important should be there but wasn’t. It had never been a good home… a good house, yes, it had been. No person but himself to live in it unless his Gramps had come to “say hi”.

Now that he wasn’t busy listening to people or surrounded by people who could ask him how he was or look for him… it was a perfect time for his thoughts to run wild.  
He had to sort himself out.  
  
The thick scent of blood filled the room. His eyes closed and every time there were flashes and bangs of the seastone bullets and canons mixed with a terrible dizzying sensation of trying to run over water with injuries that weakened him _so much_.

With a groan he held his hands over his head in a stupid attempt of self-preservation. Shouts of laughter and cheery success from enemies echoed and the world was _too damn noisy_.

“Please, just go away…” he pleaded to his own head.

The blood of his first mate dripped onto his shoulder and his back and he just wanted to wipe it away. Flashes of guilty faces of the dying played on repeat and-

It hurt. He couldn’t protect them. Tears filled the corners of his eyes at the onslaught of memories and fresh pain.

His own cries rung for Jimbei to carry what he couldn’t, slowing him down as bullets rained on the large man’s back. Jimbei could have made it if he hadn’t carried anyone else – if Luffy had taken the others. But he couldn’t have! He was- he wasn’t enough. Not to get them to the next island.

 Unshed tears turned to floods as the memories just kept playing through and a quiet scream escaped his throat.

‘ _I couldn’t protect them. Not my own crew. Not my nakama. Not anyone.’_

“… _Thank you for loving me!!!”_

“ _It’s been good, Strawhat.”_

“ _STRAWHAT!!! Make sure you don’t visit any time soon! If you do… well, then… I’ll REALLY KILL YOU…!”_

‘ _I COULDN’T PROTECT ANYONE’_

His own words played.

“ _When you guys are in trouble, call us! We’ll come help you no matter what!”_

As if _that_ had worked out…

“ _Just run!!”_

“ _Luffy-senpai!!! Keep going!!! I’ll meet you at the end!!!”_

“Ng…!” All that could escape was a painful groan as tragic failures continued.  
  
The last memory to play was one of Sabo. It started at their forced farewells from when they were kids, to the letter to the day they met again. It all ended on that damned bloody battlefield with Teach and his blood-rotten allies from before.  
If only he had gotten there earlier…  
It was too much to think about. Too much to hold in his head. Too heavy to worry. A puddle formed beside his head as tears had finished pouring into the futon he lay on as everything turned into a hazy blur and he fell into an exhausted sleep.

‘ _Until tomorrow…’_

 

 


	13. Missing Thoughts

A few days had passed since Luffy’s strange arrival. That first day had been spent aggressively letting out built-up grief and frustrations out onto the surrounding forest. Not that it had done all that much considering his present strength but after having let out all of that… stupid mleh of emotion… he knew that he would focus on developing his strength when he could. The next couple days were mostly spent with the marines. Sakazuki and Corvin (because apparently that was the tall blond-guy’s name) had been especially worried when they hadn’t seen Luffy at all for that first day and even more so at his attitude.

But as much as the men seemed to care for him and sacrificed a lot in general for his hometown (they had been doing a fair lot of community work when they weren’t away on ‘trips’, as Corvin had put it), it wouldn’t change that he was a recently killed-off pirate and they were marines and Akai- Sakazuki’s overall appearance didn’t help.

They had seemed really nice though and the wind herself was starting to get used to his presence. And now it was that final day. Corvin had told them days ago they were going on their final trip – that they were waiting for a call.

“So, you guys are leaving today…?” Luffy asked, sitting at his favourite spot in the bar.

“Yep,” Corvin stated pretty cheerfully. Apparently as much as he enjoyed the past few months in the East Blue he was equally ready to leave and explore more.

“We’ll be leaving towards midday,” Sakazuki added from his place just next to Luffy’s.

“What are you guys going to do after that?”

“Hm? Oh, well, I guess if things really work out then Sakazuki here will be promoted to Commodore!!” the excitement was clear in Corvin’s tone which made Luffy smile.

“Tch, _if_ it goes well. The government isn’t always the best at equitably promoting marines.”

That made Luffy pause.

“Equi-what?”

“Hn? Oh, equitable?” Despite being so different, Sakazuki and Corvin really were similar in at least a _part_ of the way they spoke…

“It means ‘fairly’ or ‘reasonably’. It’s related to law and justice.”

That made Luffy grimace… he didn’t want to think about marine’s damn sense of justice…

‘ _Wait, what?’_

“But why would marines care how people climb the ladder?”

He had met plenty of marines. In the East Blue it had been cool and they weren’t really much to worry about. Smoker and Coby were good people in his eye and although he never learnt much about what Gramps had done, he was sure he was good too. Even after their goodbyes in Marineford – which had been too much to forget – he still loved him. And so much had changed over the last few years alone even during that two years he spent training.

Marines were generally more savage. The Great Pirate Era was becoming more widely feared, especially with Dragon’s son out on the search for the One Piece as a pirate. Actually _becoming_ the King of the Pirates had only helped to rise _more_ panic. The world had spent so long calming down after the death of the last Pirate King and because of that, it had been a long process of calming the world down to a successor. They had visited _every_ island in the world and so many had been quick to either attack or hide. Marines had been becoming more brutal in order to meet the rising standards of the Fleet Admiral and citizens.

It was terrible…

Sakazuki and Corvin hadn’t been expecting the question though. They had spent a while with one of the island’s youngest and he had always been so excited about the concept of travelling on a large ship. He even thought the marine uniforms to be “kinda cool” and followed the marines around like the tail on a dog. But these last few days had been different and Luffy had been somewhat distant. In the last few days alone Sakazuki could count no higher than two occasions where Luffy triggered the beginnings of a conversation. And now he had asked something like that… and the way he had said it was so simple yet the words held a number of potential accusations.

Sakazuki shared a look with his commander and the two knew they thought on similar terms.

“What do you mean by that, Luffy?” Corvin asked curiously and yet, with caution.

Lost in his own thoughts, he continued.

“There are marines that can get promoted to a higher rank but because of the system, higher ranks are more easily to attain by less – what’s the word… ethical? – means. There are a number of marines that achieve higher status that way, irregardless of what that may mean for others so long as it’s for convenience’s sake. Why would marines care how they get there so long as they do…?”

Luffy’s voice drifted into something quiet and an awkward silence seemed to fill in place of the bubbling voices from just earlier. Luffy was in his own head. He had met so many downright evil marines and… A shiver passed down his spine.

Corvin was trying to wrap his head around all these new words Luffy had seemed to just suddenly know and use while Sakazuki’s own heartbeat raised to a speedy rhythm.

Why the hell would he ask such a thing? Yes, Sakazuki was aware of a fragment of where the World Government failed, such as morality and the pathetic need to constantly appease the Celestial Dragons. But he aimed to change that. Everything Luffy had said though seemed to hit heavily on Sakazuki’s core beliefs. Sakazuki wasn’t bad and he planned on keeping it that way. He wouldn’t commit a filthy act if that’s what it took to “climb the ladder”, as Luffy had put it. And he had just said it after Corvin had made that statement as well… that he _might_ be promoted. Whether Luffy was aware or not, he had accused him of such a thing.

The words died in Sakazuki’s throat and suddenly he didn’t know how to express anything. What could he say? He had known Luffy for some time now, and the kid was bright and always managed to lighten the heavy atmosphere. Not to mention the kid would always tag by their side and would cling to Sakazuki with all the energy and effort that was in him. Did that same child suddenly think so little of them…?

“Luffy?”

And now Luffy realised what it was he had just said and who he had said it to. His eyes widened in realisation and instinctual fear once again ordered him to escape and protect his friends. Told him he was too weak and could be easily beaten down and killed along with everyone else.

He gulped in fear as flashes of battles against marines in his stronger days flitted in and out.

“Y-yes?”

Dammit, he wouldn’t be fast enough to get out the door and even then, if he did get out, Akainu could just use his freaking magma devil fruit to- to-  
No, it would be okay. This- this wasn’t Akainu; this was Sakazuki.

‘ _Someone different,’_ he told himself.

“You are right that there are some… corrupt marines. I do not know how many and it is made difficult when it is those with the most power limit your own ability to do what is right. But I do care. If I didn’t, I would be no worse than a pirate,” Sakazuki finished with quiet firmness.

Sakazuki didn’t know how that had all reached the kid’s head earlier. Never had the marine captain been nearby to hear where Luffy could have had heard such a perspective. But Sakazuki would try and help him at least hear more of what’s important to be heard.

Luffy was caught off guard when he had heard those words. That’s right… not all marines _were_ bad… Even if he hadn’t met one in a while, he should have known better. When had he begun to think differently?

“That being said, these East Blue missions may help me be promoted which would help me in the future, if ever I want to make a greater difference in this damned political war – which I do. However, even if it doesn’t, we helped a lot of people. For that, I’m grateful.”

 “I see,” was all he could think to say.

The conversation ended there and the bar was once again filled with chatter. Makino awkwardly dried dishes behind the counter.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

Makino stood at the port with the rest of the villagers as the marines finished their goodbyes to the townspeople. Luffy separated himself from the others, standing with Sakazuki and Corvin closer to the edge of the town instead.

The silence was awkward, if anything. Despite everything that had happened, there hadn’t been enough time for Luffy to get to know the marines and because of that, a part of him still resented them. The battles of the past were difficult to let go, after all, and he missed his nakama.

Sakazuki wanted to speak to Luffy alone for a minute, sensing the awkward tenseness of the atmosphere. Signalling he wanted time alone with a nod of the head to his commander, Corvin’s expression turned serious as he returned to gesture before walking back to the ship.

“I’ll see you again one day Luffy!” he called out with a wave.

“Sure!” Luffy returned the gesture with a stiff smile on his face.

This had been going on for too long.

“Luffy,” Sakazuki’s voice came as a firm statement that couldn’t be avoided.

“Yeah?” the small seven-year-old looked up to face the much larger marine captain.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean…?” but the kid’s shoulders went rigid and his voice seemed stuck. Why, he didn’t know.

“You were always so excited and cheerful. Always running around and starting any conversation that you could. You would follow Corvin and myself just about everywhere, especially in the bar. This was barely a week ago. What happened? Was it the bandits? My arm?”

And Luffy couldn’t avoid acknowledging the hurt this man was feeling.

“I just…”

But what was he to say…? Every time he wanted help, to tell someone, to ask someone what in the world was happening, he couldn’t bring himself to speak in fear that if he stared, it wouldn’t stop. If it had been Shanks here, then maybe he could bring himself to tell his role model. He wanted to find Shanks. Or maybe his crew was still alive here. If so, did they remember? If only things could be less complicated…

“I’m sorry… I don’t know what to say…” And that was true.

After a moment of silence, Sakazuki continued.

“You don’t need to trust me. I don’t know what happened, or if I can do anything for you. As a marine, I know there is only so much I can do.”

“Do you regret it?” the question came out of Luffy’s mouth before he knew what he was saying.

“Hm? Regret what?”

“You… saved me, right? And it cost you your arm. Do you regret it…?”

“Luffy…” the older man kneeled down in front of the smaller.

“I would never regret that decision. It was just a forearm. Hell, the government has enough money to support me losing it. Maybe I’ll get a replacement. But even if I didn’t… I would never regret saving your life.”

“And… what if it had been the child of someone the government didn’t like?”

Sakazuki’s eyes widened in surprise and silence followed.

“Why do you ask?”

“…Just a thought, I guess…”

“…Luffy, I do not know all the people that exist. I hate pirates. And there are people in the government that believe there is justification for their selfish actions. I do not know about their children…”

“…”

“May I tell you of something personal?”

“Eh?”

“I do not tell many about my past. Corvin is one of the few that are aware.”

Was that such a good idea? Perhaps the information could be helpful in some way in the future. Maybe it could help Luffy understand where to go from here. Normally he couldn’t care less about a person’s past as it only mattered to him who that person was in the present. But maybe…

“Sure.”

Sakazuki began to pull at the collar of his uniform shirt with his remaining hand until it stretched enough for Luffy to see a large tattoo of a few pink flowers surrounded by a blue pattern. It was only a piece of the tattoo and Luffy could guess how much the pattern continued.

“I lived on an island in the South Blue with the rest of my family. Twice a year we held festivals there in the city. They were beautiful and I would always help my father in gathering wood for such events. There would be a large fire, the townspeople would gather with their loved ones. It first started to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of new life. It changed over generations, until it eventually lost that meaning and became something enjoyable…”

Where was he going with this story?

“My mother would make dolls from fine fabrics. I remember the moment my younger sister learned to pick up a needle she was adamant in helping mother. The dolls would be sold and set on the mantles in people’s homes and sills of shops.”

He chuckled at the pleasant memory before falling into grim silence.

“The year I turned ten, there was an attack on the city. Pirates. They destroyed everything. To this day, I cannot forget the spreading fire and the sounds of pain. Those pirates all but mocked our anguish…”

The way he said pirates was with disgust and pain.

“My father and mother protected me and my sister to their last efforts. Our parents were good people. There were many good people in my home but so many perished that day. Only a few in comparison to the hundreds before made it out that day and it was only made possible because of the marines. Most of those pirates lost their lives as well and those that didn’t would have been taken to prison. More marines were sent to help restore the city and despite the terrible state it had been left in by those pirates, less than a year later it became just as functional as before, though only large enough to be called a village. I was angry at those pirates, more than anything. But my younger sister was loving and believed that it would do no good to hold onto that anger. I learned to believe her as well and together we lived in peace.

Two years later, another group of pirates came. The captain – he shouted nonsense as he and his men destroyed everything…”

He paused through the story as he made sure he would speak the next sentences clearly.

“My sister and I hid together in the small home we shared with the other orphans of the village. It was late at night and all I could hear was—“

Sakazuki searched his younger audience to consider his next words.

“All we could hear was that something bad was happening. The captain – he ran into our one haven. The other children were just as terrified as we were. There was something in his eyes that was dark… and familiar.”

“…Familiar…?”

“That pirate captain. He was his son. The son of the last pirate that destroyed our city.”

Luffy’s insides froze.

“That act had been his revenge. He destroyed that orphanage and killed every child in it. Every child except me. After killing my younger sister before me… he just stared at me. Looked at me and grinned before leaving me alone in that place… I don’t know what he saw in me that he didn’t bother to look for in any other person but that attack had been more savage than the last. There are thirteen of these flowers tattooed onto my upper body. Three of those belong to my family. Ten are for the forgotten children that died that day.”

Luffy’s words choked in his throat as he could only try and make out his question.

“-nd.. the blue…?”

“My home before the first pirates attacked was famous for its Cerulean Gate. It’s an old passageway for small boats. It was an old myth that the spirits of loved ones would greet you at its entrance. It all seems rather fitting.”

This impacted so much… If this happened in the world Luffy knew, then it was no wonder Akainu had believed Ace and himself were bound to be the end of everything. On one of his adventures, Luffy had been to a city in the South called Cerulean City. It had been a pretty average place, nonetheless exciting to explore. Of course, he had never seen the gate Sakazuki mentioned, though Robin had been excited about something she had learnt there. He had thought learning about history was… Robin’s job. Robin’s dream. He had never thought to care about anything more…

“To answer your question, if you had asked me twenty or so years ago, I would have told you that the son of a criminal was bound for the same path and should be killed. But, having said that, things have changed since that day.”

“How?” the question was quiet and barely audible. Nonetheless, Sakazuki heard.

“My sister. If she were still alive, she would tell me not to believe something so ridiculous. That I shouldn’t hate. She would tell me that just because it one person did such a… horrific thing… it by no means labels every other person.”

Luffy’s insides felt like a mess. Here he was, in the very town of his old home, being educated by a man, with the face of a man he considered to be eternally his enemy, about the rights and wrongs of humanity. Reminding him of something he had only just believed in not all that long ago and must have lost sight of it somehow along his journey. It was… sickening.

“Why tell me this…?” he whispered, so much more solemnly than before.

Sakazuki sat down to level himself with the Pirate King that looked nothing more than an awkward child.

“Luffy?”

The younger met his gaze with clear signs of distress and guilt written through his features.

“My younger sister taught me to love and forgive. If those men who took my family from me were to return before me, I know that I would not find it in myself to forgive them.”

At those words, the marine captain’s eyes looked saddened by his own words.

“But,” he continued with a firm determination set in his gaze, “I will not fall to their level. And I will not let what they did grab hold of my future.”

“Thank you…” it took a moment for Luffy to find the right words.

Sakazuki only nodded in acknowledgement before once again standing.

“I should go back to the others… you will be okay?”

“I will,” was the determined reply.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

 

“Bye Luffy!!! You’re a great kid!!!!” Corvin yelled from the front of the marine ship as he waved with a massive grin stretched across his face.  
Corvin really did look like such a kid sometimes, despite his age…  
“Yeah, see you Luffy!!!! Make it to the seas some day!!!” another marine called out.  
Other goodbyes blurred together with one another as more men shouted.  
It was a funny thing that he should seem to come to the past and not know what the future would hold. Sakazuki came up to him from the large bridge between the ship and the port.

“I’ll miss you, kid.”  
Tears filled the younger’s eyes as he was reminded of every goodbye he ever had to make. Goodbyes were for people he wouldn’t see again. This man in front of him, though he wasn’t Akainu, and he certainly wasn’t evil, Luffy couldn’t be certain what there next meeting would be.

“I’ll miss you too.”

He didn’t want them to be enemies. He didn’t want any more of those. He didn’t want needless bloodshed, and the advice Sakazuki had given him was a reminder of the ways he used to be. But he couldn’t be certain… This world was different and unpredictable.

Their goodbyes were carried with the wind as they parted ways.

 


	14. Oh, Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadah! I will aim to update more regularly from now on. ^v^ Enjoy!

Makino was confused and conflicted. Every day she worked in the bar save one and every day was another variation of the last. This made the last few months ever more so interesting in comparison to the others and with the marines gone she had believed that things would return to as it had always been with the same typical routine of the villages; each one of them still enjoying each day no matter how boring it may appear to visitors. Luffy hadn't been far from them, she thought, despite his slightly more adventurous nature. The boy she had come to view as a younger brother (even if neither of them said it) had come to accept life as it was. He had always gotten along well with the other children of the village and it made her so happy seeing.

Something had changed in the last few months, true. Luffy had become increasingly wild and unpredictable. He loved listening to the tales the marines offered frequently and he tailed after Sakazuki-san, always. He always pestered to go with them. He wanted to see what they had – feel the wind against his face and splashes of the untamed sea.

Something had changed... Even if it was just a week or so ago, there was no denying it. It was... as though something inside of him had switched completely. One day he was pestering to be taken with the marines and hating being told he would need to wait until he was at least twelve to join as a chore boy and then the next day... he didn't ask anything. He never mentioned becoming a marine again.

She had first thought it was because of the incident Sakazuki-san had lost his arm. Later, she had talked to the captain about it and Sakazuki-san had noticed the same changes and he had come to the same conclusion at first as well but later stated that he wasn't so sure. Something else seemed to be worrying him perhaps...

“ _Do you think he will be alright Sakazuki-san...?”_  
“I know he will be. Even if something right now is troubling him.”  
“Yeah, he's a good brat,” Corvin interrupted.  
“...”  
“Corvin's right. Luffy isn't one to stay down for long.”  
“True... Oh, you don't think something's happened between him and his friends do you...?”  
“Like what?” Corvin asked.  
“Well, you know how children are...”  
“I think either way, he'll be fine. He knows he can come to us if he needs,” Sakazuki finished.  
“I hope so.”  
  
They had all expected Luffy to talk to them about whatever had been troubling him when a week had passed and nothing seemed to change. She had addressed her concerns to the marine captain on the morning he was due to leave and he had informed her he was already planning on talking to him. And he had. Every day Luffy came in after that he had a new look about him. Something strong and very different to the child she knew.

She had been glad. That was until about a week or so ago. Makino hadn't seen him for a while since those few days after the marines had left and she had grown worried. _**Then**_ he comes in and she thinks she hadn't been worried enough! He just entered the bar absolutely covered in cuts and bruises and... was that a stick in his hair...?

“Luffy!!” she called out in panic and immediately rushed over to the younger boy.  
“Hi Makino,” his voice was slightly shaky, understandably, but it still held all the determination it had all those previous days.   
“What _happened_??” she practically screeched. This was _not_ what she pictured the next time she saw him. “Wait let me get-” she rushed her words as she ran to her own room separate from the main bar, grabbed her first aid kit with a rush that splashed all her other belongings across the side of her room in the process, washed her hands under the bathroom tap and hurriedly dashed back to the small bleeding seven-year-old.

“Ohgoodnessyou'rebleedingsomuch-”   
She hadn't been prepared for this...  
She signalled for him to raise his arms up only he shook his head.   
“I'll need to cut your shirt if I can't get it off like that, I'm sorry Luffy...”  
It had been a shirt he really liked, too...  
“It's okay,” he answered simply.

She took out the small sewing scissors and managed to carefully cut across the seam of his small shirt. Looking at it more closely she could now see all the muddy stains and pinprick-sized holes and stretch marks that just covered the shirt.   
“Oh Luffy, what happened...?” she asked carefully as she finished cutting through and removing the shirt.  
It wouldn't even come off properly as something else was sticking it to his body in places. Meanwhile Luffy was mumbling some sort of response and winced as she continued. She carefully tore the shirt from his torso. There was no need to hurt him more than he already was and she didn't even know how hurt he was yet!  
Dried blood had been pinning the shirt to him apparently and everything was a mess. Small bleeding and crusted scratches were everywhere and small dots littered his arms and back. What she was mostly concerned about was the gash going from the centre of his back to his right hip. What could have caused such a thing......??

“I wasn't strong enough against the boar...” his voice was disappointed though she could hear him make a small whimpering sound as she began applying a warm wet cloth to the large gash.   
“BOAR??” she was at that moment glad that she was behind Luffy and that he couldn't see her face.   
“What were you doing Luffy...?” her voice was quiet and somewhat tight.   
“I... I was training.”  
“Training...?” and now her voice was quieter, almost a whisper.  
“Erm, yeah... I... I need to be stronger.”  
“...Is this to be a marine...?” she couldn't help it, she was worried.  
“What? No! Of course not, it's-!” but he stopped there.   
She wanted to ask more but knew she wasn't up to it just yet. This would need to wait.  
“I'm taking you to Chiko-san.”  
“Eh?! But-” he stopped and sighed before continuing. “Okay. Thank you Makino.”  
She was too worried to think about the way he had said everything. She didn't want more to think about. Just take him to the doctor then it would be okay. After that, well, Monkey D. Luffy will have a lot of explaining to do then. Until then, it will need to wait.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

“So, what idiot decision did you make this time kid?” Old Man Chi sounded as tired as he looked.  
“Er... I just wanted to hunt a boar really.”  
“I see. Care to explain why?”   
Luffy didn't really want to. He had forgotten how weak and useless his body once was. Hadn't he bragged about his strength at one point...? That had been dumb. No wonder Shanks had never let him join them on a voyage...

“I er... wanted some training...”  
Luffy felt the silence to be somewhat awkward.   
“And why, Luffy, did you choose to attack a boar?”  
Ah... Luffy had to be careful with his answer. This was like all those times he had done something stupid around Chopper, having to explain himself carefully to not summon the doctor's worry-caused rage.  
“Um... well... I... figured it would work out. Since it was just a boar, right?”  
Apparently that had not been what the old village doctor had been wanting to hear. The clenched fist making contact with the top of his head suggested as much.  
“Well it's fortunate you didn't hurt your head then, I see. Now out; I need to speak to Makino.”  
“Okay,” he made his way out the door.  
“And Luffy?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Look after yourself, kid. My hair's already starting to go grey, there's no need in inflicting the same damage to poor Makino.”  
“Right...” he gulped.  
  
Seriously, what had he been thinking? The past... how many days...?... he had been spending in the forest, training to become stronger. His body was weak and it was the only way he could bring himself to think somewhat clearly. His body was no where near it's original strength and now he was finding lifting a large branch as difficult as destroying a mountain used to be. He should have thought better than to attack that boar but then... he couldn't feel the boar's presence very well either. The world was far too silent for his liking.

“Sorry Makino...”  
“For what Luffy?”  
“You... were worried, weren't you?” of course she would be. He had been gone for ages and hadn't even said anything to her when he left.  
“Of course Luffy, look at you!” She had a point... he had bandages over his torso. He hadn't needed so many bandages but then that shirt had been one of a couple. He wouldn't be able to get to them as quickly as he needed and still needed to prevent anything else from getting into the cuts. That's what Old Man Chi had said anyway... he didn't know much about medicine and stuff. That had always been- He didn't want to think about his worst failures again...

“But it's okay, Luffy. I'm really just relieved that you're okay...”  
Luffy gave a fond smile. Makino had been there for him so much. In the end, he had never replied to that letter, fully believing that he would return home and see her again. That he would be able to hear in person all the things that had happened while he was away and, in turn, get to tell her all about his adventures. It was only one letter. One of many by the looks of it as well. How was he to know he was going to end up getting himself killed before seeing her again? But then... when had death ever listened to anyone...? People died and... he had known that....  
The idiot.  
  
“Thanks Makino...”  
She must have thought he was thanking her for caring about him but it wasn't about that.   
“You're welcome, Luffy. Now let's get back to the bar, okay?”  
“Yeah...” Maybe he could explain it to her one day.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

Luffy was in the forest again, simply trying to lift the heaviest thing his small weak arms could manage at this stage, which happened to be a large rock. It was less than half his height and already, he was struggling. Sweat poured down his face as he ran between the trees. He needed a clear head. No bad thoughts. No memories. Free from all of it. Flying and sailing were definitely the first best thing. Running was the second. The rush of wind brushed against him as he ran, the weight in his arms grounding him to reality. He hadn't been strong enough to defeat that boar either... and he might not for a while. His body had taken some adapting to now that it had resumed a smaller frame. Neither was it rubber... A delicate, easy-to-break small brat's body...

Another couple days had passed in the forest and while Luffy was stronger than the first time he had gone into the forest, he hardly felt any satisfaction. His mind was still a wreck he tried to fix through emptying it entirely and he hadn't experienced such pathetic weakness in a while... But, of course, the Pirate King did start somewhere. Even if he didn't know if he could still call himself that. But he was determined to be able to protect _something_ in his current state, however weak that may be.

His arms were tired from the self-set task of doing everything with the miniature boulder and his legs were worn from the endless activities meant to strengthen his body. Overall, he was much weaker than normal however he knew if he gave himself a good day's rest, he would be stronger than he was before his last couple days in the forest. It gave him a rest mentally, too, which he was mostly thankful for.

A strange intrusion to his mind startled him slightly. A presence? He brought himself back to the situation. There were muffled sounds of speech... people were nearby. Carefully, he brought himself behind the largest tree. That was haki... Observation Haki. He hadn't experienced it in what felt like a very long time.   
  
“...t.”  
“-eah.”  
“r..t.” muffled words changed to laughter.  
  
Luffy wasn't sure what to make of the sounds. His haki didn't pick up anything other than the fact there was more than one person there and even then, it wasn't clear. He was normally better with people's emotions with haki but... well, since coming here, things had been rather different, hadn't they? He wanted to understand his haki more. Pick up on their intentions or see if he could find how many people there were without directly looking at them. His ability to use haki had been completely unpredictable since arriving at his hometown and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. Slowly, he crept his way closer, making sure he stayed outside of view. He didn't want to see them either though; he had to make sure this worked.

More laughter.  
“...ny.”  
Closer.  
“....es fault for screwing with them.”  
“Yeah, I mean, they were marines! The hell was boss thinking??”  
 _'Boss? Marines?'_  
“'ere was 'at kid, too! 'Amned brat...” This one's words were slurred and sluggish...   
_'Alcohol,'_ he realised. He still couldn't quite pick up their emotions or presences but their tones ranged between halfhearted and aggressive...

They were talking about marines and some kid, too. Had they been involved with the marines maybe?  
Suddenly one of them shouted, pulling Luffy from his thoughts, “Oi!! Look, a kid!!”  
 _'Oh Blues,'_ he had been spotted. He had been to damn caught up in his own head and now he was spieling all sorts of colourful curses as he realised they were much closer than what he had thought. He could feel it now. Four presences. One was distinctively stronger than the rest and the others were pitiful messes with systems likely rigged with alcohol. Still, he had been training for two days straight with breaks only for food and no sleep. Basically, he was the weakest.   
_'To hell with it all!'_ he could only run now.   
“GET BACK HERE BRAT!” one of the sober ones yelled out.  
WHY DID HAKI ONLY CHOOSE NOW OF ALL TIMES TO WORK?!?!

Where to go- where to go-  
He had instinctively started running in the direction of his house but thinking about it a little more, that was clearly a bad idea... Wouldn't he just lead them straight there? And then what? He would just trap himself. Dammit, Robin and Jimbei were better at these things!   
There was no chance of going back to the village as he would just endanger everybody else. This is _not_ what Luffy had been training for...

Running through the forest was probably his best bet. Try and lose them amongst the trees and stuff... He could only last so long though and while normally he would just go “screw it, we'll get there when we do” that was exactly how his crew and himself had died. He wasn't just going to make the exact same mistake so soon!

 _'The trees!'_ It was the best option he had. So he kept running just for a little bit, completely free of the small boulder having thrown it away the second he was spotted. Perhaps he should have kept it to throw at them as a distraction first...

He manoeuvred quickly between some of the larger trees, broadening the distance between himself and whoever those guys were, before spotting a good branch to get to. It took much longer since he could no longer simply stretch his arm and reach the highest branch and now had to carefully make his way up.

Luffy could hear the three men all curse and swear below him from his small branch at the top of the tree. He made it... and by the sounds of it, they didn't know he was here either. But then... something felt distinctly wrong... He was careful to face down but not to set his gaze directly on anyone. It didn't matter how stupid someone was, many people could feel when someone was watching them.

Eventually the men continued walking on. Luffy knew where he recognised them now. Earlier, the marines had been talking about some bandits visiting. Sakazuki had lost his arm as well at that time because of something that had happened between himself and the bandits gossiped about by the marines. Now that he thought about them, they looked vaguely familiar. It had been so long and even though he had forgotten their appearances entirely, coming back home everything was just a punch to the gut caused by memories and emotions. These bandits were familiar to him, to a degree. They had also been somewhat responsible for the loss of Shank's arm as well, all those years ago. So they had been looking for him, huh? Luffy started to climb down as he continued to think.  
  
At the same time... something was missing. There were three people speaking earlier down below. They were all bandits. He couldn't quite hear or feel anything of their intentions though, which was disappointing. He was happy, however, that he had managed to eventually sense the number that had been there. Which is where he paused again because... there hadn't been three, had there? There had been... four...  
His feet touched the ground and a stronger lonely presence spiked at his sudden awareness and he spun around just in time to dodge the oncoming knife.

 

 


	15. Strange Occurrences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh... I thought I added this chapter a while ago... whoops!!

Luffy snapped his body to the side in reflex, causing his body to waver due to the sudden shift and he barely managed to stay upright. His ear stung and thick liquid dripped into the cavern. A hiss of pain escaped his lips as he reasoned to comprehend the situation.  
  
A tall lanky man stood before his own small form. An unremarkable dark green coat that seemed to blend almost perfectly with the natural environment, dark frizzy hair that stuck out awkwardly, and thin gloves that were barely a tone in difference to his jacket. Overall, it was very much like looking at an aggressive plant. That threw knives apparently... A very dangerous plant, he supposed.   
  
The man reached across into a pocket on his left side with his right hand and withdrew a second knife, though perhaps this one was a little bit longer than the last... Luffy had to react quickly. This man was physically stronger than him right at that moment due to his current state and while Luffy would normally persevere and defeat the guy regardless with firm confidence... the now-young Pirate King couldn't afford to lose his life so early on before he even figured out what had happened or if he could pursue his friends for a second time. It would be better to simply escape. Rest. Get stronger. And then maybe he could return and find out whatever in the New World's Seas this guy wanted.

 

Luffy observed as much as he could as swiftly as possible; surely he had time. The man's knife was about the length of the guy's forearm with a gentle curve to it. They stood a good several metres apart now so it was impossible to make any important observations about the weapon other than that it was of a higher quality than the standard kitchen blade. This man was also fully open to the idea of killing a kid as well, he noted, as his haki picked up the repressed rage, the trickle of fear of something not related to the current situation and the complete lack of guilt. He needed to be careful in his current state. People such as these were often more dangerous than appearance allowed to give way.

 

Without diverting eye contact, Luffy scanned the immediate area for a branch, a loose rock – anything that would make an easy weapon. The man ahead drew the knife back as Luffy spotted a slight protrusion of a rock only a little ahead of himself. The stranger lunged with precise swiftness that he never recalled existing in his homeland. He was coming straight at him! It was too fast for his untrained eyes to see and the Plant Guy was over him in a second. Luffy leaned forward to duck, simultaneously shifting his weight forward and bringing a leg in front as the second blade curved over where his throat had been. Luffy turned his quick step into a jump for the rock. His hand made a firm grab for the protruding rock as Plant Guy picked himself up from his narrow miss. But... dammit, the rock was stuck. How heavy could it _be_?? Surely it couldn't be that difficult to get out, even in his currently-weak state. Using two hands, he grasped the rock with every little bit of strength he had, willing the rock to break free from the ground's hold. A little crack sounded.   
_'Dammit, I'm breaking the rock!! Surely it can't be-!'  
_ The earth below made a slight cracking sound. Luffy suddenly saw flash images of receiving a blow to the back of his head and he swerved his head and torso down and to the side to avoid the swing of the knife.   
_'Oh hell...!'_  
A hand left the rock but the other stayed, refusing to give up on what could be his only useful weapon. He couldn't rely on haki nor his own strength to give a good punch. The most he could at least do was pick something up and throw it!  
  
Another crack came from the earth and Luffy could feel it loosening from its place.   
_'Hurry...!'  
_ Plant Guy was definitely quick to recover from his second miss and on a spin, he kicked the side of Luffy's head, sending the small boy back into a heap of trees and plants. Several cracks sounded followed by the quieter noises of little bits of dust falling and suddenly Luffy's hand held a lot more weight then what it had done moments ago.  
 _'That stupid rock...! Of all times!'  
_ The rock he had been trying to remove was quite literally a boulder that must have been caught in the ground for who-knows-how-many years and was now flying with him. Luffy cursed at the weight and his lack of control over his fall. His fingers were stuck in the stone from his earlier attempt to pull it from the ground and now it had fallen on top of him, weight pinning to his stomach. The little Pirate King let out a loud hiss of pain and the brief image of broken ribs came to his mind.   
_'No!!'_  
  
Plant Guy acted very quickly... Who even was this guy?? This was the East Blue (at least... it should be...?)! The man was silent as he charged towards the spot Luffy was pinned to the ground and brought the knife up, ready to thrust it downwards into the child's throat. Luffy could see him perfectly now. His eyes were a dark grey, thin eyebrows that flicked upwards slightly at the end that reminded him a little of lightning. His face was tan and thin though it held a strength in it. Luffy could _feel_ the Plant Guy's spike in happiness, pride, achievement, only to be followed by a sudden shift in emotion. The man's eyes met his perfectly and the stranger seemed to scan him over.   
  
Confusion turned to irritation and then a frustrated rage that had to be dealt with. The weird Plant Guy suddenly stood up wordlessly and brutally punched a tree with what seemed to be with all of his strength, only leaving a small dent in the trunk. Thoughts raced through Luffy's own mind as the man who tried to kill him barely _seconds_ ago was now grunting in unmasked rage and struck the tree with his fist yet again.   
  
_'At least he's not that strong...'_ was all Luffy could really process in the jumble of his mind. But he was too fast for Luffy's childlike eyes and that was already dangerous enough...  
Luffy almost forgot he was completely trapped underneath the boulder he had stupidly used all of his strength to remove.   
  
Plant Guy seemed to be done though and was now walking up to him yet again but this time, only to crouch besides his face.   
“Who are you?” the man's unexpectedly high voice questioned.   
“S-seriously?” Really, Luffy wanted to laugh but a bloody and throaty cough escaped instead. This was ridiculous... The guy had started following him not too long ago, he supposed, suddenly attacked him out of nowhere, was rather skilled in his approach to sneak attacks and throwing knives even if he was more towards the weaker side, and the guy came so close to murdering him too!! He hadn't even figured out what he was going to do yet and he already unintentionally made an enemy!! And yet, here the same guy was, crouching down next to his face right after he was about to slit his throat, only to ask him who in all the Blues he was!   
  


Instead of Luffy answering, the Plant Guy spoke up again.  
“You are not him...”  
 _'Him...?'_  
“You are too small. Too thin. Clean face-” he continued to ramble.  
If this guy thought _he_ had a clean face, something was wrong... His face must be muddied all over from all his training and adventures in the forest, not to mention the small scratches and now the blood that was coming from his mouth. Luffy made a horrible hacking sound as he made a series of bloody coughs. This was a problem... He was going to rest and get better and stronger so he could come back later and repeat the whole process but now he was weak and in an even worse condition than before. Hopefully this would all make him even stronger by the end.   
  
"Hm...” the weird Plant Guy paused as Luffy continued to struggle to breathe.   
He was getting worried for his own health. The boulder that prevented him movement was crushing his chest and made breathing close to impossible. The blood coming out of his mouth was undoubtedly making it all worse and Luffy knew he could drown from this. Turning his head to the side was near impossible but he had to or else the blood would just keep clogging his throat until he suffocated.  
  
Cracking resounded loudly as Luffy painfully turned his head. He winced and hated how sensitive his body had become.   
“Ah, whoops,” Plant Guy's eyes seemed to widen in realisation at the scene in front of him and the man proceeded to now stand.  
“Sorry 'bout that!” the way he spoke made it seem like such an insignificant thing despite the clear sudden worry he was now feeling.  
The way the man spoke now in comparison to earlier was like a swing from one end to the other. Before, the guy had sounded so careful and cautious. Someone who was aware of all the dangers and held all the experience. He hadn't even spoken a word up until then!! Now the way he spoke made him sound... 'careless' was probably the appropriate word.

 

The man held his hands to the side of the boulder and slowly tried to push the boulder from Luffy's chest. Pain spiked throughout his small body as the giant rock had been pushed further into another part of his chest and likely further shattering his already damaged ribs. Who the hell was this guy...?  
“I don't usually make mistakes like that but it does happen sometimes. You two do look a little alike, you know?” Luffy couldn't reply as his body was splayed helplessly across the ground.   
“Ah, this one time, I – it was a few years ago, I think – was tagged to this one guy – really large too – and I did well the whole week, too! Ah, then I did find out I had been following a woman... My bad!”   
The guy continued to ramble in a childlike manner about chasing a raccoon through the kitchen with a younger sister... even if Luffy weren't still helplessly trapped beneath a massive rock by   
fault of his own, he was certain he wouldn't have listened to these stories with any great care.   
  


“Well, there we go!” the older man said as he gave the final push to the boulder that managed to get it off. Despite the clarity and lack of heavy breathing on the man's part, Luffy could see sweat pouring from the guy.  
Plant Guy proceeded to dust his hands on his pants before bowing slightly to the crushed child.  
In what seemed to be the politest way possible, the man who had tried to kill him just minutes ago finished with a, “my sincerest apologies, young man. My bad.”  
And he walked off, continuing to grumble something about how it wasn't his fault all his targets looked the same.  
  
Luffy, meanwhile, was suffering from fatigue, internal bleeding, broken bones, a few new cuts and whatever damage had been left earlier from his previous training. Wanting to return to something kind and familiar, Luffy urged himself to get up and move. But his ribs were dead and he couldn't feel one of his legs at all. Pain flooded his body but he lifted his arms at his sides and dug his hands into the dirt and leaves in an attempt to push himself up from the ground or at least turn him over so that he would be lying on his stomach rather than his back.   
_'Nope nope nope nope nope!'_

His body did _not_ want to do that. Especially if it meant forcing his already-crushed upper body to take more pressure. He had to move though.   
_'Damn that Plant Guy!!! What in Grandline's waters did he want anyway??'  
_

He groaned in pain as he resorted to rocking his body to the side as best he could, only to hear yet another crack from his body. That couldn't be good... Finally, he was on his side and used the arm furthest from the ground to support his body. He had to keep moving. In front of him, Luffy noticed a branch that had been savagely torn from its place on a nearby tree and he reached out. It was much larger than himself, but it would make an adequate support for walking to the village doctor for now. Noticing a tree with a badly torn stump of a branch, Luffy realised where the branch had come from. _Now_ he had a branch?? All because that Plant Guy had attacked him with that damn knife. He wanted to laugh at himself and the situation. He had so much luck in that little past life of his and he briefly wondered where it all went. As he chuckled, the sound died in his throat and he bit his lip to refrain from yelping out at the pain. Laughing would do no good...  
  
Painfully, he stumbled with unclear vision all the way back to the village. As he came closer to the village and could see the shore, Luffy spotted a speck of a ship in the distance. Hazy thoughts drifted to the oncoming vessel on the horizon.   
_'My nakama...'_ he thought, _'they're back for me...?'_

And everything went black.

 

**Line Break**

_Luffy was surrounded by endless black. No sound nor colour was present and his body shook with foreboding dread.  
"Oi!" he screamed out but the surrounding abyss was a vacuum to his voice and the second it escaped his throat it was lost to the void.  
"Is anyone there? Oi!" For some reason he was terrified. It was dark, he could swear he was alone, and for some reason it felt necessary to _ _stay_ _alone; that being alone would be safer._  
A slow rhythmic tapping of steps from behind flipped his attention to his back and his eyes were drawn into the encompassing screen of black. There was no sense of depth by how dark it was; just a thick layer of darkness covering his eyes so completely that he couldn't see the next step ahead of him let alone the source of the steps. The steps became progressively more audible followed by a gentle glow of orange which surrounded the forthcoming figure. Luffy's heart clenched at the sight of the familiar freckled face, that orange cowboy hat and that resplendent warmth and he knew he was dreaming.  
"A-Ace," he choked out and his eyes pooled with tears.  
Oh, how he had missed his forever-older brother. "L-love you!" he tried to shout out. Every dream of Ace he had tried so hard to say the right words he should have done the day he died. He was dreaming, he knew, but his dreams of his older brother carried a semblance of the older's hugs, his voice, his love; a fraction of everything Luffy had missed. His heartbeat quickened and urged him to go hug the other that had by now stopped walking. "Ace!" he called out excitedly and launched forward to wrap his arms around the man he had missed but his body landed against some invisible barrier and he fell backwards, sprawling against the unblemished ebony floor. The second he hit the ground Luffy stood and stared at the distant figure. He should be able to get to his brother! Luffy reached out and walked onward, once again clashing with an invisible solid surface. This didn't make sense... Ace was right there! He had to get to him, tell him how much he missed him and cry his heart out over the last events that felt like horrific nightmares that he hoped would end. Tell him about his crew and receive that fraction of comfort against his broken glass life. This dream was denying him access.

_"Hey Luffy," Ace greeted monotonously, shadowed by the rim of his hat.  
Why would Ace talk to Luffy like that? The shadow hiding his brother's kind gentle eyes reflected his voice - there seemed to be a terrible layer of ice coated over it, preventing the warmth and usual light through. Was his brother okay...?  
"Are you... okay Ace?" he asked, not knowing how to phrase his fears. His brother scoffed in reply.  
"Tell me, Luffy..." he began, walking forward as he spoke, "tell me why I should be okay." The tips of his thumb and index finger grasped the rim of his hat with care and tilted the hat upwards, revealing his hardened glare. "Tell me why I should be okay after what you took away from me. From _ **_all_ ** _of us."  
More tapping from various areas ensued; some steps approached with incredible lightness while others were so heavy, giving Luffy a false sense of the ground shaking. His_ _head flicked from one side to another as his surrounding developed. Several figures – all loved and lost nakama – approached and had him surrounded. It was like he was..._

_“Trapped?” Robin asked from one side. Luffy gulped and his frame shook. “Like we were. Like you made us be,_ _ **Captain-san**_ _.”  
“I didn't do that- it wasn't my-!” Luffy desperately wanted to say it wasn't his fault.  
“You didn't mean to, no,” Robin closed her eyes and nodded in plain acceptance.   
“Just like how it wasn't __**your**_ _fault when you didn't get me out of Marineford. Right, Luffy?” Ace taunted.  
“Just like how it was never __**your**_ _fault when we got into trouble,” his first mate said in disappointment in his captain.  
“Luffy...?” Nami was nervous in her approach.  
“I-I almost fulfilled my dream... One more island. One more, Luffy! Then we could go back to the East Blue and finish the rest! Why didn't you protect me??” Nami had tears in her eyes, sobbing and grieving for the loss of her dream she would never complete. Something hit Luffy's back and upon turning around he could see it was just the leg of a skeleton. But it wasn't just that...  
“B-Brook...” Luffy whispered inaudibly.   
The skeleton musician was barely holding it together. A skull that was riddled with cracks to the point of beginning to flake in places, little bits and pieces falling to the midnight ground. His clothes were a mess – caked in mud and a chalk-like substance that could only be bone – as he stumbled forward until he fell completely forward, skull shattering into the ground and blasting across in pieces. Luffy was, for once, too terrified to move. As he stretched out his arm all he could feel was that barrier.   
“Yohohohohoho!!” A cheery, frightening voice resonated through the non-existent walls of the void and into Luffy's very mind. “You've made quite the mess, Luffy-san.”   
“He has, hasn't he?” Zoro said with blood seeping from his skull and torso from various bullet wounds.   
“I-I was gonna cure everything, Luffy!!” Chopper's eyes were innocent and tearful; a wide contrast to his dyed-red fur and bloodied hooves.   
The sounds of metal against brick resounded as Franky stood wordlessly, his body slowly deteriorating in its place. His metallic-hide throat was in pieces and water droplets fell from his body. It was like he was falling apart in water he was still in. Sanji didn't say anything either as his hands fell from his body with only veins and strings of muscle supporting them to hang in the air. Luffy gagged in response to the smell and scarring images.   
“Little crybaby brother...” Looking back at Ace, he could see the red gaping hole centred at the man's chest. Sabo entered from nowhere and stood by Ace's side. The scar over his face would have been preferred to how much of it was missing. “Little, painful, __**detrimental**_ _,_ _ **bothersome,**_ _little brother...”_  
“How many more will you take...?”   
  
  


And Luffy's eyes snapped open and his chest convulsed with pain and terror as he gasped for air.   
“O-oi, Luffy! Brat! Oi kid! Hey!” someone was grabbing his shoulders. He expected an attack from his nakama and brothers, shaking at the thought of being despised by the ones he loved and yet, how badly that image burned into his core.

Gradually he grew aware of his surroundings. No blood, dying, withering skeleton, falling limbs or despising eyes. Rather, a gentle wooden brown entered his vision. There was a small familiar desk in the corner that held a small light and a small porcelain cup. A kind scent of cinnamon and honey replaced the harsh air of blood and death. And in front of him, hands on his shoulders, the same old man he was starting to see a lot more than what should be necessary...  
  
“You with me now, brat?” Luffy's eyes widened at the prospect of safety. It was... Right. He had known it was a dream and yet... His frame still shook from the dream that had seemed so real. Finally, he steadied his breath and turned to face the old man's eyes with a questioning gaze.   
"A nice gentleman found you and brought you in," Old Man Chi explained as he calmed himself from the kid's fit, taking a sip from the tea at his desk.  
"Right," was all Luffy could bring himself to say, swallowing down nervously at the shadows of painful thoughts.  
"Sorry, who?" he asked, suddenly realising where he had been before collapsing. That Plant Guy had abruptly left without a care so Luffy knew that if anyone had helped, it wasn't him.  
"You were found near the forest yesterday. While you were out meandering in the forest for, dare I ask, "training", a ship arrived."  
"Ship?"  
"That's what I said, brat. Wandering fishermen, they said. Mind you, I'm a little suspicious. "Wandering fishermen" are rarely ones to wear suits. Even if they  _are_ head of a popular fishing group from the South Blue," the old man grumbled.  
So he was saved by fishermen? That was nice and... unexpected... Wait, what were  _fishermen_ doing in a  _forest_? Luffy voiced his concern.

 

“That's what I was thinking... Though the gentleman who found you claimed to be looking for a friend of his.”  
Old Man Chi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.   
“You're suspicious?”  
The old man scoffed at his questioned statement.  
“Brat, who wouldn't be? I'm not old but I have experience. What fisherman wanders to a forest they've seen for the first time hoping to find a friend of theirs? But he seemed nice enough. It isn't always my place to know things either, so it's best for me to leave it be. Besides, he did find you for us. Goodness knows how long you were out there for.”  
He placed his tea down gently on the desk's surface with a light _clunk_ and gave a heavy sigh.

 

“Brat, when are you going to stop venturing out into that wild forest?”  
Luffy answered with only silence at the unexpected question. The older man sounded tired, worn, and utterly helpless in his spike of frustration.

 

“When you suffer a burst fracture to your vertebrae like you did just then or will you wait until you destroy your spinal cord entirely?” he raised his voice in frustration and clenched his fists at his desk.   
  
“Luffy,” he spoke softer though the tense grimness of his tone was still there.   
“Yes?” he looked up and met the man's gaze with little guilt only to be hit it tenfold as he saw the heaviness in his expression.  
“Why do you go to the forest?”

“To get stronger,” the reply was instant. He knew it was risky but he refused to let the village doctor tear down his ambition. The older man seemed to have read this and and only looked more forlorn.  
“How does your body get stronger?” he asked seriously.  
“I just- it just does. Eat meat, fight something stronger, lift something heavier, right?”  
It was simple logic that Luffy had always understood though perhaps in this case it wasn't the right answer...

 

“To a degree, that is true. You eat, your body breaks down ingested products from the carbohydrates, fats and proteins, into energy molecules to be stored or used by your body. When you exercise, your muscles tear and your body has to repair them. Luffy, how does it feel after you exercise for long periods of time?”

“Er, it's sore but it's not really bad until I stop for a while.”  
“When your body rests, that is when your muscles are repairing. To put it simply, your muscles have to put themselves back together and in that process, they come back thicker and grow more. Does that make sense?”  
“Yeah,” Luffy was understanding.  
“This process happens when you rest. So until you rest, you continue to tear your muscles.”  
“Didn't you just say that was good though? I mean, it means I'll get stronger the more it-”  
“No!” he loudly interrupted. “It isn't good, Luffy! You tear and you tear them until they're completely destroyed. It takes a _long_ time, Luffy, for that to repair. What will happen if you stress your body so much that it cannot protect itself when needed?”

 

He had never seen the old man so angry before and it was all directed at him and his idiot decisions. The doctor was worried and it was Luffy's fault and now he only had a vague understanding at what was happening. Clearly, the older man was cutting down the information he knew in order to make it understandable for the small adult that should know a lot more than he did.

 

“I'm sorry...” was all he could think to say.  
It made sense, a little. All the times he had been a complete wreck after battle, the way his body didn't respond after his fight with Lucci and the times that same process repeated in fights until it was a set pattern. He had worried his doctor, his crew, his friends. Law, too, had been worried. Because he didn't know to stop or to rest until he destroyed himself and shaved a few more years from his lifespan.

 

“Now, Luffy, I'm not saying to stop fighting or training.”  
Luffy already knew, though.  
“You need to find a healthier form of training, though. Something safer that won't turn this man's hair grey early, okay?” It was a light joke but the seriousness was there.  
“I understand.” Perhaps in this life, he would learn to listen.  
  
“Okay, now that that's out of the way...” the man brushed his fingers through his dark hair. “That gentleman you asked about, said his name was Laskey.”  
“Hmm... I don't know...”  
“I didn't expect you to, brat. Still, I would go say thank you. From what I heard, he's at the bar chatting to Miss Makino.”  
“Right,” he walked to the door.  
“And Chiko-san?”  
“Hm?” Luffy could feel the fondness and care in the doctor's presence.   
“Thank you for teaching me a bit,” he smiled brightly with a care only for his family.  
The man's expression softened greatly and the deep care was plain. He was just as any good doctor should be.  
“Take care, brat. Perhaps you could learn another thing or two; it would be nice having someone to teach from time to time.”  
  


Luffy took this comment to consideration. He was a pirate. Or at least, he would be. When he first left at the age of seventeen, he had taken nothing more than a small fisher's rowboat and a couple barrels of food without a single skill in navigation, survival (other than to simply not die of course. Lucky Gramps had instilled _that_ much into him), first aid or... anything else, actually.   
“I'll hold you to that offer, Old Man Chi!” his childlike voice rung as he dashed out the door before the doctor could pull a Fist Of Love, easily forgetting his present injuries.

 

_'Now, to the bar, to the bar...'_

He wanted to find out who this mystery fisherman was... According to the doctor, his name was Laskey. Luffy had carefully repeated the name a few times to try and retain it in his memory. Old Man Chiko had also said something about him coming in a group as well. Making his way to the bar, Luffy could see the port and a large ship in the wait.

 

It was mostly white with some colour to it. Darker blue railings contrasted against the white of the ship. The sails were furled, making it impossible to see any defining features painted on it other than that it had bright blue curves.

 

Walking into the bar, Luffy met the sight of a tall man with purple-grey hair and small red-tinted glasses. He was talking to Makino at the counter holding a small glass of red wine. On the counter sat a black fedora. Something about the hat seemed... familiar. He did not recognise the man, however.

 

Luffy stepped in with little shuffling noises as his bare feet padded against the floorboards.   
“Ah, you must be Monkey D. Luffy,” the man said with a feigned cheerfulness. “Miss Makino was just telling me all about you.”

**  
**

 


	16. Search For A Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like cats. It's completely irrelevant to the story but oh well!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is now being Beta Read by Sir Zesto! So happy!! He's awesome and because of that, this story will be going under more adjustments to previous chapters. At the moment, only the Prologue and Chapter 1 have been Beta Read but only on FF.Net so far. One day I will put more effort into this site... 
> 
> Secondly, I wanted to say this: When I type 'You' it starts with a capital letter. That is because 'You' is just as important as 'I'. Remember that. I just don't include that in my stories.   
> Also!! Laskey IS a real One Piece character! If You're wondering who he is then feel free to look him up. :)   
> Now! Onward!!!

Laskey, whoever the guy was, was invasive if anything. He would start with simple questions such as “what do you like to do?” and “where can I find the best fish?” which made sense for a stranger and fisherman to ask. Then the questions would suddenly escalate to “how many kids live on the island?” and “have you ever had any run-ins with bandits looking for anyone?”. Poor Makino just stood there handling the questions and answering as best she could and had to deal with a “hypothetically speaking, if a bandit were to come in at this very moment with a poster of a wanted kid, assuming there was one, what would you do?”   
And Luffy, like the good little kid he was, let Makino take it like the man she was. Even if he did feel a little guilty... Clearly it was all too much for his brain...  
Eventually Luffy just got bored of watching the two adults in a weird conversation and decided to leave altogether for some fresh air to rid his mind of the earlier nightmare's lingering shadows.   
“Ah, before you go, Luffy? Makino-san?”  
“Yes/yeah?” they asked from their respective positions.   
Laskey reached his hand in an inside pocket and removed a small folded piece of paper, unfolding it and holding it up for both to see. Luffy paled and his blood froze.   
“Have either of you seen this person at all?”  
Ace.   
“No I don't sorry...” Makino apologised.

 

* * *

  
  
Luffy once again found himself in his favourite seat of Partys Bar. Not even a whole day had passed with those new guys in the village and already so much had changed. The men were a great help for the village and consistently offered service when they could, always asking questions about the area, the village, the city off in the distance as they did so. Apparently a few of Laskey's friends had decided to go to High Town, probably to look for important goods they couldn't acquire more locally or maybe to just enjoy the sights. That didn't reduce his suspicions though. That Laskey guy was looking for Ace but clearly they weren't getting anywhere. It was as though they were... dumb? Was that it? If they were looking for something and trying to be secretive then surely they were going about this badly. Who just asks a bunch of “hypothetical” questions off the bat like that? And now Luffy could understand what everyone had meant this whole time when they had said he was dumb. Not even a year ago Luffy would have blindly accepted whatever words those guys claimed and it was only Observation Haki and that photograph that really allowed him access to the intentions of the men and he could tell that, for whatever reason, they were in it for themselves. He hadn't really been that surprised...   
_“Such is the way of man,”_ a good friend had told him not long after seeing a group of slave-owning nobles beg for mercy. Luffy wasn't much better either. Everything he did was either for himself or for a friend so who was he to hold a person's selfish nature against them?

  
“Those men have been really helpful, haven't they?” Makino asked him.   
Luffy nodded. “Un.”  
“I wonder who that boy was they were looking for... He looked rather young.”  
“Did they say anything?” He had been so caught up in staring at that picture he hadn't heard if anything else had been said.   
“Just that he was a kid that had gone missing but they were trying to find him. That was kind of them although... They _did_ say they were fishermen and from another Blue as well...” she pondered.   
If Makino was concerned then that meant something. She was trusting but she knew to be cautious when it counted and neither was she stupid.   
“Are you worried?” Even though it was Luffy that asked and despite how laid back he was about the entire ordeal he was still very much afraid. His brother's eyes looked different and it took a lot to remember that Makino hadn't met Ace until later.   
“A bit...” Makino admitted, not ashamed for her constant genuine concern for others.   
Content silence carried through the air, completely void of any awkwardness.   
“They won't find him,” Luffy mumbled under his breath.  
Makino's face turned to gentle consideration.   
“Do you know him, Luffy?”  
Luffy stiffened, surprised by the question and yet it completely made sense. Makino was observant when it came to people. Perhaps his own 'people skills' came from the time he spent with her.   
“Will your friend be fine?”   
“He...” would he? Luffy hadn't planned that far ahead. It was always 'think about tomorrow when it comes' and not to mention all those nightmares and flashbacks. Sometimes it took effort not to punch out at someone, mistaking them for an old enemy.   
“Still, it'll be nice when Garp-san returns next week...”  
“E-EH????? G-Gramps is-”  
“Hm? Of course. I did say last week and you've already known for at least two months...”   
“S-Seriously?!” Luffy yelled.   
  
He needed more time to prepare. Ace, Sabo, being brothers, getting taken by Bluejam... he had put NO thought into what he was going to do!! What about Shanks? Clearly _he_ wasn't coming and for that, he was scared. No devil fruit, no protection from all those wolves, cliffs, torn down trees or that dreadful Fist Of Love. I-it would be good to see his grandfather... It had been a while and of course he still loved the man despite everything but one week.   
“M-Makino! What day is it?!”  
“Th-Thursday,” she stuttered, startled.   
“WHAT DAY DOES GRAMPS COME???”  
“E-Eh? M-Monday.”  
Thursday, Friday.. Saturday... Sunday... Monday... That was... One, two, three, four, (gosh, his head hurt)... five. “GAH!!! IT'S NOT EVEN A WHOLE WEEK! BYE MAKINOOO!” he yelled as he left.   
“E-eh...? Wait, Luffy!!” she yelled.   
“Yeah??” he called back.   
“Make sure your friend's okay, alright? Stay safe, ne?”  
Luffy's eyes fixed in determination, knowing fully that he had to be there for his brothers and friends at all times.   
  
“Ugh, you IDIOT Luffy!!” Luffy berated himself as he swung a hook at the monkey he was training with. “Not thinking..! What're you gonna do when Gramps comes??” He brought a leg out, successfully sweeping the monkey off its feet before bringing his leg over, slamming it down into the skull of the animal as he had experienced many times from Sanji after “borrowing” a late night snack. The poor monkey was defenceless against the wrath of the little Pirate King as it was knocked out instantly from the blow. His body had gotten stronger. Screw whatever advice Old Man Chi gave him about looking after his body; it wasn't like he was stabbing it or anything.  
“Arrgh, what are you going to do when you see _Ace...?_ ” He wasn't mentally nor physically prepared enough. His Gramps was on his way and he didn't want to be a liability to his brothers...   
  
Another monkey came his way, perfect position for landing a Gum Gum Pistol. As he threw his arm back, ready to propel it forward his body stumbled back slightly and Luffy was more than confused until he realised, _'right'_ , of course he wouldn't have his fruit. He hadn't had it for some time now and yet that time was a mere fraction of that which he had spent with it. It was going to take more than a few months to get used to that.   
_**“Gyeheheh!! Stupid human, stupid human!”**_ the monkey teased in a sing-song voice while charging for the distracted boy. Luffy steadied himself, growling in frustration and punched the animal straight in the nose where it squealed and ran off.   
“And STAY OUT!” he shouted furiously before realising how stupid he sounded. Maybe being in a kid's body did things to him, he frowned while recovering short breath. He needed to think. He needed paper.   
  


* * *

 

 

Back at his Gramp's house, pencil in hand, he leaned over the paper realising to a whole new degree of his level of stupidity. He couldn't read much so what in the world gave him the idea that he would actually be able to _write_? He could only rely on what he could do for the time being... So, with new determination and strengthened will, he drew one little circle with a tiny, lopsided 'x' in the middle of it. Of course, the pathetic attempt of a circle itself was something to cry over. Undeterred, Luffy drew nine other circles next to his own and each was just as bad as the first one in their own unique way. Underneath, he drew two more circles a little bigger than the others. One had a little squiggle on its left to represent Sabo's burn while the other was covered in small dots. Good! Then he drew an arrow from his own circle to the ones for his brothers. But he had to colour in the arrow and make it extra pointy at the end. Yes, Luffy had indeed grown up. Then he drew a small rectangle to the side that had a bunch of circles inside. _This_ was those weird fishermen guys looking for Ace. Then he roughly sketched another arrow directed from the 'Lanskey Group' to his brothers and himself. Ah, but they weren't really specifically looking for him so... Luffy made little crosses through the arrow from the 'Lanskey Group' to himself to show that he was still involved but not _meant to be_ involved. Perfect!! Luffy beamed brightly at his... art(?). Oh! Gramps too! He quickly added a big circle with grumpy eyes, wild hair and an old man's beard. _NOW_ it was perfect!   
  
Luffy needed to make sure Ace and Sabo were alright but Gramps would be coming in four nights time and for the time being, he could rely on Gramps to be of aid. At the same time, that group of guys were looking for Ace and if that was the case, Sabo and himself were bound to be included to the mess – not that he would mind – so it was fortunate he had been training so much. Now, Ace lived with the bandits. Luffy added an attempt of a rectangle topped with a triangle to depict the hut (Eh, good enough) and added sharp lines around it because, hey, there were giant tigers, bears and poisonous plants surrounding the place. As well as _other_ bandits. And crocodiles at the lakes. And evil vines. Yep, Ace should be fine. However... those guy's presences were unusually strong for the East Blue and Luffy realised that if he couldn't rely on himself to take them out should it be needed, then he couldn't go off luck and hopeful wishes. He had to assume Ace and Sabo would be attacked soon, if not today. Luffy grit his teeth but continued. He couldn't rely on waiting for his Gramps to show up and save the day like he would have the last time he was little.   
  
It was a long painful process but eventually Luffy reached the final decision of looking for his soon-to-be-again-brothers and keep an eye from a distance. He would block out any painful memories which, thankfully, would be a little easier with them all being kids and having unfamiliar presences. At least... it should be, right? He wasn't going to talk to them or give hugs, he would just be observing over their safety. With that, and leaving that ~~teerrrible~~ drawing behind, Luffy left his little house-y-place for the forest.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Luffy arrived at the normal areas Ace would go hunting, Luffy hadn't felt any of those presences from the so-called 'fishermen' however, neither was their any sign of an Ace and he was beginning to get anxious. Still meandering about the forest, hoping to feel his brother's old presence (whatever that had been, but at least he had some idea), Luffy was struck with realisation and... he had been such an idiot! Grey Terminal, right? His brothers had _always_ gone there. Changing direction, Luffy headed for the garbage dump.

It was on the way that Luffy spotted the freckled kid. At first he had paid no mind only to catch himself with the wonder of what other kid on Dawn Island would actually _want_ to go to Grey Terminal? Luffy kept his distance, far from the other and well-hidden amongst all the natural debris as he watched the one person he had longed to see again for _four years_ now, excluding those three extra lonely years without his brother. Ace was skinny and lacked the muscle he had grown used to seeing his whole life. While his freckles were plenty and his hair was as unruly as ever... his entire presence was something different. The physically-older kid's eyes wondered over the dump that he began to search and Luffy took note of everything he was feeling. His older brother was... _lonely_. Of course, Ace had always been somewhat lonely until the three swore themselves to be brothers but even then, Ace was could tell himself and everyone else that he was content staying that way. This kind of loneliness was sad and yearning. It longed for friendship, for another hand in life or role model or- just _something._ Even Luffy hadn't felt that kind of lost, dreary sense of loneliness because of meeting his role model! This wasn't the Ace he had come to know but... Luffy was just as determined to be as close as last time! With Sabo too, of course! Oh, how he'd missed his brothers. Tears pooled in his eyes at just the prospect of having the eldest right there in front of him. Lonely and sad, yes. But heart beating, lungs breathing and legs moving. Another presence caught his attention.   
  
Laskey stood in the distance, almost invisible to the dark shadows of the endless piles of trash but Luffy could sense a question beating within the man as he continued to search through person after person nearby. Snippets of surrounding nature's grief-stricken whispers caught in his mind.   
**_'Humans..... mis—ry... tiiiiiiiiirred'_**

It wasn't the first time hearing wildlife so overwhelmed by the corruptible nature of so many people but it meant a little more in this point of time, literally feeling Laskey walk through, searching for a boy so close to him. A boy he cherished deeply. Carefully, Luffy stepped out from the bushes and walked up to Ace, intending to get him away from there before he was found. Luffy twisted and turned around mounds of trash, careful not to make too much noise nor draw attention to himself. It helped that everyone was so focused on themselves that none would care for seeing a child wondering the area unless they held something valuable, in which case Luffy didn't. Slowly, he got closer to his older brother and his heart thumped dangerously quick in his chest. Finally, he was close enough and Laskey seemed to have stopped his search and was now talking to another person in the distance that he couldn't see through the rubbish. Now that he was close to Ace though... hell, what was he supposed to say?? Would this kid even _trust_ him? It was Ace so of course he wouldn't! That feeling hurt more than anything but this wasn't the time for that! Just- just go with the flow, right? Be calm, casual, polite.   
“Psst..!” Luffy whispered to the other when he was close enough.   
Ace, in the middle of inspecting a small bracelet with a peculiar gleam to his eyes, squealed at the sudden interruption. Ace... _squealed!_  
“Pfft.. shishishi..!” Luffy chuckled quietly.   
Ace snapped his eyes to the other with nothing but an incredibly shocked expression. It was hilarious and brought a genuine laugh to Luffy for the first time in a while.   
“Wh-what's so funny!” Ace gave a quiet yell, clearly startled by the other's appearance and the Pirate King realised he would need to introduce himself again. Luffy smiled sadly, catching the other completely off guard. Luffy gathered his strength and stretched out his hand. “Hi! My name's Monkey D. Luffy!”

 

Ace was more than shocked at the other's spontaneous appearance. He had just been looking through all the stuff those nobles threw out from the kingdom and had actually found something pretty neat too! It was special, even if no one up there wanted it and he wondered if he was like that. Those bandits that old man had forced him to stay with since he could remember had never really expressed much of a caring sign for him. Occasionally they did something special like those days he was sick but aside from that there had been nothing and no one. Then this kid popped up out of nowhere! He was clean compared to the surrounding filth though his bright expression showed no discomfort. When he had stretched out his hand and introduced his name, a little spark of warmth bubbled from underneath all that loneliness. Someone was happy to see him?   
“H-Hi..” he mumbled shyly and the other kid's face turned confused. Had he done something wrong? This kid, Luffy, hadn't mistaken him, had he? “S-sorry, y-you okay?” he stuttered.   
  
And Luffy knew something was wrong. His Ace was loud, grumpy, moody, wild, anti-social and Luffy could continue writing the list for days yet this single interaction showed an entirely different person altogether. A shy kid that wanted to get to know someone and was more than a little self-conscious. What happened to _his_ Ace? The one that claimed to not give a damn about what another thought or said. This person... this _child_ was very very very different and Luffy feared again. Could he have lost Ace so soon? Before Luffy could reply he was forced from his thoughts when something – or someone – bumped into his back. Realising there was a presence from behind and turning around to see the two men, Luffy knew they were in trouble. Standing in front of them was Laskey and that crazy plant guy that had tried to kill him earlier.   
“Why hello, have you two-?” Laskey stopped mid question as he now took the time to actually look at the two boys in front of him and he narrowed his eyes. At the same time, Luffy flicked his gaze to Ace again and tried to compare what he saw now to the photograph he had been shown. They were too alike. Quickly, Luffy turned to stand protectively in front of the other, unintentionally releasing a little Conquerer's Haki in the process. It didn't matter if this Ace and the Ace he knew were different, he would love both just the same. Luffy's eyes narrowed fiercely and the Haki intensified. Laskey and the other stopped all movements and simply stared, sweat forming and breath coming short and sharp. They were scared of the sudden predator before them. Suddenly, all pressure dispersed and Luffy gave them a bright smile that could possibly outshine the sun. He wouldn't fall to these jerks; he had to get Ace out safely and he wasn't strong enough against these two and certainly not together.   
“Hi!!” he beamed.   
Startled, Laskey seemed to forget whatever was going through his head at this change.   
“L-Luffy. What are you doing here. Shouldn't you be with Miss Makino?” he asked, sweating still at the forehead though his voice didn't dare betray him. He was good.   
“I was looking with my brother for something to give to Makino for her birthday coming up!”  
The two eyed the small bracelet in the other's small hands and Luffy was glad he had stood in front of the other, a little higher on the rubbish pile and acted as shield for Ace's face. If they saw him properly in the bright light then... who knew what would happen?   
Plant Guy spoke up, “wait, isn't that-”   
Laskey gave an interrupting cough and held up a hand to silence the other before smiling at the two. It was very much fake.   
“Apologies, Luffy-kun,” he continued to smile and pressed his red-tinted glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “Tell Miss Makino I wish her all the best.”   
Luffy slowly grabbed for Ace's arm, turning Ace around before the two could look any more at his features. Did they recognise him? Plant Guy definitely recognised _Luffy_ at least, though he wasn't able to finish what he was saying. Luffy would think about it when they were safe.   
  
Ace walked by Luffy's side, likely confused at the change of circumstances but followed nonetheless with the dirtied bracelet in hand.   
“H-hey,” Ace tried to get the attention of the smaller male and Luffy stopped.   
“Yeah?”   
“Where are we going? D-do you know those guys? I-I mean...”   
Ace was really beginning to remind him of Coby when they first met. Luffy met Ace's gaze.   
“I don't really know who those guys were...” should he tell the truth? “One of them... one of the guys was looking for you earlier though.”  
“R-really...?” Ace's eyes widened. Luffy had really missed his older brother...   
“Yeah... But it's okay! You'll be safe!”   
Ace was silent until... “I'll be safe...?”  
“Of course!”  
Ace seemed unsure and voiced this. “What makes you say that? Why would they be after me?”  
“Good question.” Why _would_ they be after his older brother...   
“Wait, what was with that thing earlier??” Ace spoke up with a little more confidence than before.   
“Hm...?”   
“Yeah! F-for a moment I thought someone was gonna attack me.”  
Oh. His Haki.   
“I'll tell you about it later.” It would be really beneficial for Ace to learn Haki a lot earlier and even he had to redevelop his own abilities for a while. For now though, he had different priorities.

  
Luffy questioned his knowledge: there was that interaction with the Plant Guy-guy from earlier and... Laskey and those others showed up while he was gone, too. Plant Guy was with Laskey just now and definitely knew each other. Laskey... Laskey... Who did Laskey-guy remind him of...? It was on the tip of his tongue; the far depths of his memories buried somewhere with the rest of everything else he knew. Laskey... It wasn't about his name though, Luffy thought. His clothes...? Admittedly, fishermen wearing those kinds of suits was unusual but hey, he had seen plenty weirder. A guy in a suit and black hat was hardly anything new.  
But then Luffy thought some more. Black hat. That suit. It was familiar and now he was thinking of a cat. A leopard maybe? Cheetah? But why would...   
Lucci. Rob Lucci. Two years who, for him anyway, when he last came in contact with the man and that secretive organisation. CP9. Cipher Pol. Shit.   
  


Despite this smaller Ace's height being taller than Luffy was, he seemed awfully small as he tugged on the side of the other's shirt with an awkwardness Luffy simply wasn't used to from the brother he loved so much. The brother he had failed. Luffy needed a little more air than what he was receiving right now.  
“U-um, are... a-are you okay?”   
Just that voice was enough to bring his troubled mind a little peace.   
“Yeah... thank you.”  
“What for?” Ace asked, genuinely surprised.   
Luffy looked at him properly and let the image of his older-younger brother sink in.   
“For just... you,” Luffy smiled fondly up at the other though it carried a little sadness in it.   
Ace was here. He had his _brother_ back! The entire thing was so... unreal... It was hard to believe he would ever be gifted so much and that thought shone brighter than all the stress of the last few moments.

  
Both Ace and Luffy continued to walk. “Oh... Ace, you wouldn't happen to know where to go, would you?” the Pirate King asked, knowing he couldn't just walk straight to Dadan's place without having been there before while in this world.   
Ace stumbled but caught himself before he face-planted into the dirt.   
“H-how the hell do you know my name...?!”   
Oh hell. “Er... I... I actually met Sabo a while ago!! He told me about you!” Luffy smiled brightly as sweat formed at his brow.   
“Sabo...?” Ace blinked. “Who's Sabo?”   
_'What?'  
_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaannndd thank You for reading!! Sorry for the long wait! I've been doing a few one/two-shots since publishing my last chapter. Over the next several weeks, updates will take longer. Also, I will refrain from unleashing so many OCs into the world. No, I don't really like them stealing attention either but sometimes we need a filler or two. I DO like Plant Guy though! He's my favourite OC at the moment. Also!! Ace came!! Are You excited?? I'M excited!! Even if he's OOC. 
> 
> PLEASE REVIEW!!   
> This takes time to write! And while I really do love writing, sometimes authors just wanna read that extra "I enjoyed this", "this is what I liked/didn't like/think could be improved but I'm going to say it nicely because I'm not rude like that" sort of thing. It keeps us insecure people going and gives a little extra smile that gets us through the dreary days. (^v^)


End file.
